Based on your rateable value alone
Based on similar properties nearby, you don't appear to be overpaying — there's nothing to chase here. This is an estimate, not a formal valuation.
On the comparable evidence we hold, your rate is in line with similar properties nearby, so we don't see grounds for a reduction right now. That's worth knowing too — no fee, no challenge needed.
On the comparable evidence we hold, your rate is in line with — or below — similar properties nearby, so we don't see grounds to challenge the rateable value right now. That's worth knowing too: no fee, no challenge needed. It's still worth the checks below, which don't depend on the rate.
The one thing we can't see is your actual measured size. Rateable value is built from floor areas measured to a standard code — and overstated areas are the single most common error we find. Pace out your unit (or check the VOA's published measurements against reality). If the area they hold is bigger than your real floor space, that alone can cut your rateable value, whatever the rate says.
If something physical has changed around you — long-running roadworks, scaffolding, a nearby demolition or redevelopment, a shopping centre losing an anchor — that can be grounds for a temporary reduction called a Material Change of Circumstances, even if your rate is otherwise fair. It has to be a physical/locality change, not just a downturn in trade. If that's you, a surveyor can advise whether it's worth a case.
Check the property description the VOA holds (the 'SCat' — what they think your property is). If it's wrong — a café recorded as a shop, an office recorded as storage — it may have been valued on the wrong basis. Getting the description right can change the whole valuation.
Your rateable value rose noticeably at the 2026 revaluation. That can be the market moving — but it's also exactly when measurement or zoning errors get baked in. Worth checking the floor areas and zones against the new valuation.
Comparable properties close by, ranked by their value (£ per m²). A high £/m² value is what pushes your rateable value — and so your bill — up. Yours is highlighted in amber. This is a broad-brush screening check on the overall £/m² value — not a floor-by-floor valuation, since retail-style zoning (Zone A/B/C) doesn't apply to this property's use class.
All comparable properties within ~0.5 mi are shown. Addresses are kept private by the Valuation OfficeThe 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., so they appear by postcode and distance. Figures are estimated annual bills before any business-specific reliefs, so every property is compared on the same basis.
Your property is pinned on the left; the closest matches are shown here in full (the chart above ranks every comparable). Scroll sideways for more.
| Line item | Your propertyTS2 1RH | Offices And PremisesTS2 1RH · same postcode | Offices And PremisesTS2 1RU · 240 m | Offices And PremisesTS2 1RU · 240 m | Offices And PremisesTS2 1RH · same postcode | Offices And PremisesTS2 1RH · same postcode | Offices And PremisesTS2 1UT · 670 m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business name | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Hopefields Education CICvia FSA — may be inaccurate | Not published |
| Address | UNIT 17, HIGH FORCE ROAD, MIDDLESBROUGH TS2 1RH | 21, HIGH FORCE ROAD, MIDDLESBROUGH TS2 1RH | 41B, EGGLESTON COURT, MIDDLESBROUGH TS2 1RU | 4, EGGLESTON COURT, MIDDLESBROUGH TS2 1RU | 15A-15C, HIGH FORCE ROAD, MIDDLESBROUGH TS2 1RH | 16, HIGH FORCE ROAD, MIDDLESBROUGH TS2 1RH | EAST WING 2D, RIVERSIDE PARK ROAD, MIDDLESBROUGH TS2 1UT |
| Office | £49,758 546.8 m² · £91 | £49,815 547.4 m² · £91 | £46,730 468.5 m² · £100 | £44,194 465.2 m² · £95 | £37,613 439.9 m² · £85 | £37,552 439.2 m² · £86 | £48,280 399.8 m² · £121 |
| Rateable value | £49,750 | £49,750 | £46,500 | £44,000 | £37,500 | £37,500 | £48,250 |
| Floor area | 546.8 m² | 547.4 m² | 468.5 m² | 465.2 m² | 439.9 m² | 439.2 m² | 399.8 m² |
| Last known bill / yr | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Occupied | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Distance | — | same postcode | 240 m | 240 m | same postcode | same postcode | 670 m |
| MatchHow closely a comparable property matches yours, based on property type, size and distance. A higher percentage means stronger evidence for a challenge — but even a 100% match is only ever supporting evidence, not a guarantee. | — | 99% | 86% | 85% | 81% | 80% | 73% |
| Reliefs | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
Last known bill is the figure a council's own records show it charges (from Freedom of Information data) — shown only where we have it, like the Business name and Reliefs rows above. Where a council's response predates the April 2026 revaluation, this is its 2025/26 bill under the previous rating list. "Not published" means that council's FOI data doesn't cover this property, not that the bill is nil.
The lowest value in each row is highlighted green; your property is in amber. All figures are estimates until agreed with the Valuation Office.
Median comparable value ≈ £93/m². Your unit is assessed at £91/m² — about 2% lower.
Retail is valued zone by zone — the frontage (Zone AIn shops, the first 6.1 metres of depth from the shop front — the most valuable trading space, and the benchmark rate (£ per m²) used to value the whole unit.) carries the full value, halving back through B and C. We compare on the Zone A value (£/m²), not the blended average.
| Zone / use | Area | Value £/m² | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office | 273.4 m² | £91 | £24,879 |
| Office | 273.4 m² | £91 | £24,879 |
| Rateable value | 546.8 m² | blended £91 | £49,750 |
What's not included above: reliefs not yet loaded for your council — charitable, empty-property, rural, hardship or transitional — could lower this further. They depend on your business and circumstances, not just the property, so check your council bill for your final figure.
We compared the floor area on this property's Energy Performance Certificate against the Valuation Office's measured area. They're measured slightly differently, so we only flag a gap when it's big enough to matter.
An EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) records the building's total useful floor area, generally measured to the outside face of the external walls and including internal circulation such as stairwells and corridors. The Valuation Office measures the usable space to the inside of the walls, and for shops it further "zones" the space — the frontage counts fully, then halves back into the store. Because of this, the EPC figure is usually a little larger — so an EPC reading up to 20% over the Valuation Office's area is routine. A certificate coming in under the rating list is the more interesting direction, because the measuring difference should push it the other way: we treat a shortfall of more than 10% as worth checking. We hide this check entirely when the gap is so large that the certificate is almost certainly for a different footprint — for example one EPC covering a whole building rather than your single unit.
| 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. | Rateable value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 list (current) | £49,750 | In force |
| 2023 list | £30,000 | Previous |
| 2017 list | £24,500 | Previous |
No alterations on record. The Valuation Office has not changed this entry since the 2026 list came into force, which is true of most properties. We read its change files every week.
checked to 23 Sep 2026
How your rateable value has moved across the last two revaluations. RV only changes when a new rating list takes effect — 2017, 2023 and 2026 — not year to year, so the bars step rather than drift.
This is an estimate, not a guaranteed saving. Business Rate Checker compares your property against similar ones in the official rating list to flag where your rateable value looks high. The figures shown — including any suggested rateable value, annual saving or backdated refund — are indicative and depend on the evidence the Valuation Office Agency (VOA, now part of HMRC) accepts. The actual outcome could be higher, lower, or nil, and in rare cases a review can leave a value unchanged or increased. Nothing here is a valuation, financial or legal advice; it's information to help you decide whether to look into your bill further.
You've got the full picture on your rateable value — the next step is making your claim. See how to challenge it yourself for free, or with a chartered surveyor.
Evidence: HMRC/VOA 2026 rating list. Comparables matched on use class and locality. Figures are estimates until agreed by the VOA — outcomes aren't guaranteed and can go down as well as up. A formal Check/Challenge is a separate step we don't perform here. Business Rate Checker is independent and is not endorsed by the VOA/HMRC.
Every zone, area & £/m² value for the closest comparables, side by side. Your property is pinned on the left.
| Line item | Your propertyTS2 1RH | Offices And PremisesTS2 1RH · same postcode | Offices And PremisesTS2 1RU · 240 m | Offices And PremisesTS2 1RU · 240 m | Offices And PremisesTS2 1RH · same postcode | Offices And PremisesTS2 1RH · same postcode | Offices And PremisesTS2 1UT · 670 m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business name | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Hopefields Education CICvia FSA — may be inaccurate | Not published |
| Address | UNIT 17, HIGH FORCE ROAD, MIDDLESBROUGH TS2 1RH | 21, HIGH FORCE ROAD, MIDDLESBROUGH TS2 1RH | 41B, EGGLESTON COURT, MIDDLESBROUGH TS2 1RU | 4, EGGLESTON COURT, MIDDLESBROUGH TS2 1RU | 15A-15C, HIGH FORCE ROAD, MIDDLESBROUGH TS2 1RH | 16, HIGH FORCE ROAD, MIDDLESBROUGH TS2 1RH | EAST WING 2D, RIVERSIDE PARK ROAD, MIDDLESBROUGH TS2 1UT |
| Office | £49,758 546.8 m² · £91 | £49,815 547.4 m² · £91 | £46,730 468.5 m² · £100 | £44,194 465.2 m² · £95 | £37,613 439.9 m² · £85 | £37,552 439.2 m² · £86 | £48,280 399.8 m² · £121 |
| Rateable value | £49,750 | £49,750 | £46,500 | £44,000 | £37,500 | £37,500 | £48,250 |
| Floor area | 546.8 m² | 547.4 m² | 468.5 m² | 465.2 m² | 439.9 m² | 439.2 m² | 399.8 m² |
| Last known bill / yr | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Occupied | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Distance | — | same postcode | 240 m | 240 m | same postcode | same postcode | 670 m |
| MatchHow closely a comparable property matches yours, based on property type, size and distance. A higher percentage means stronger evidence for a challenge — but even a 100% match is only ever supporting evidence, not a guarantee. | — | 99% | 86% | 85% | 81% | 80% | 73% |
| Reliefs | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
Last known bill is the figure a council's own records show it charges (Freedom of Information data), shown only where published — responses that predate the April 2026 revaluation are 2025/26 bills. The lowest value in each row is highlighted green; your property is in amber. All figures are estimates until agreed with the Valuation Office.