Around one in eleven commercial properties in England is overpaying business ratesThe tax most non-residential properties in England pay to their local council, similar to council tax but for shops, offices, warehouses and other business premises., and 57% of challenges to the Valuation Office secure a reduction. Check yours against the published rating listThe public register listing every business property's Rateable Value. The current list is the '2026 list', based on rental values from 1 April 2024. — free, independent, and we show you the evidence.
Our own analysis of the 2026 Rating List — 1.9 million properties, updated several times a week. Free to read, free to cite, methodology published in full.
Average rateable value per square metre, 2001–2025
£ per m², England & Wales. Flat stretches are real — values only move when a new rating list takes effect (2005, 2010, 2017, 2023). Source: VOA published statistics.
July 2026 · Source: VOA / businessratechecker.com
July 2026 · Source: VOA / businessratechecker.com
VOA data shows requests to correct property records have rocketed from almost nothing in April to over 700 a week by July — and more than four in five have been accepted in full. Here's what's driving the surge, and what it means for your own rates bill.
ReadNew VOA data shows 57% of businesses that challenged their rates bill secured a reduction — better-than-even odds. But almost 130,000 cases were filed in a single quarter, and the queue is only getting longer.
ReadBusiness rates bills are based on a valuation nobody checked in person. Here's why that leads to overpayment, what the government's own figures show, and the narrow window you now have to do something about it.
ReadEnter a postcode. We match your property to the latest VOAThe government body that sets every property's Rateable Value. From April 2026 the VOA is part of HMRC (see below), but 'VOA' is still the common name for the valuation side of the work. ratings information, updated several times a week, and pull its rateable valueThe official estimate of a property's annual rental value on a fixed valuation date. Your rates bill is based on this figure, not on what you actually pay in rent., floor areas and zone breakdown. We also match VOA data to additional sources to improve our recommendations.
See how your £/m² compares with similar properties nearby, in plain English — with every comparable we used shown in full.
If the evidence supports a Check, we say so and show you how to apply for one. If you're not paying too much, we say that too — and monitor your property, and the rateable values of every property near you, for free.
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