We don't have enough comparable evidence nearby to check this one fairly — we hold 1 we'd call a genuine like-for-like match, and we want at least 3 before we'll stand behind a comparison. This isn't a verdict either way: it means we haven't been able to check, not that you're paying fairly.
We can't check this one fairly yet. Your rate is £110/m², but we only hold 1 property nearby we'd call genuinely comparable — we need at least 3 before we'd stand behind a comparison. This isn't a verdict either way: it means we haven't been able to check, not that your rate is fair. It is worth asking a surveyor to look at this one directly.
We don't have enough genuinely comparable properties nearby to check this one fairly — we hold 1 we'd call a real like-for-like match and want at least 3 before we'll stand behind a comparison. This is not a verdict either way: it means we couldn't check, not that you're paying the right amount. The floor-area, zoning and relief checks above still apply, and a surveyor can look at your specific valuation directly.
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 propertyFY5 1AJ | Shop And PremisesFY5 1AJ · same postcode |
|---|---|---|
| Business name | Not published | Not published |
| Address | 47-51, VICTORIA ROAD WEST, THORNTON CLEVELEYS FY5 1AJ | 75, VICTORIA ROAD WEST, THORNTON CLEVELEYS FY5 1AJ |
| Ground Floor Sales | £108,513 803.8 m² · £135 | £121,394 714.1 m² · £170 |
| Internal Storage | £25,457 415.3 m² · £61 | £19,942 234.6 m² · £85 |
| Office | — | £3,413 28.7 m² · £119 |
| Staff Toilets | — | £0 0 m² · £0 |
| Rateable value | £139,000 | £150,000 |
| Floor area | 1219.1 m² | 977.4 m² |
| Last known bill / yr | Not published | Not published |
| Occupied | Not published | Not published |
| Distance | — | same postcode |
| 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. | — | 80% |
| Reliefs | 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 ≈ £148/m². Your unit is assessed at £110/m² — about 26% 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.
Part of your rateable value sits outside the floor space — the Valuation Office prices things like car parking, plant and land separately. Our comparison uses the floor-space value only, because that is the part measured in £ per m² and the only part that can be compared with other properties.
| Zone / use | Area | Value £/m² | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground Floor Sales | 803.8 m² | £135 | £108,513 |
| Internal Storage | 288.1 m² | £68 | £19,447 |
| Internal Storage | 127.2 m² | £47 | £6,010 |
| Floor space | 1219.1 m² | blended £114 | £133,970 |
| Air Conditioning System | 803.8 m² | £7 | £5,627 |
| Rounding by the Valuation Office | — | — | −£597 |
| Rateable value | £139,000 |
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.
Retail/Hospitality/Leisure rate: we've used the lower 2026/27 RHL multiplier (43p, 5p below the national rate) because this property's use class looks like a qualifying retail, hospitality or leisure use. Final eligibility is set by your council and depends on the property being wholly or mainly used for a qualifying purpose — if it doesn't qualify, the national multiplier applies and the bill (and any saving) would be a little higher.
How this property's rateable value has moved across the last three rating lists, and whether the entry has been altered mid-list following a proposal or appeal.
| 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) | £139,000 | In force |
| 2023 list | — | Previous |
| 2017 list | — | Previous |
Appeal / settlement: not yet checked for this property.
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.
No bar shown for 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25, 2025/26 — the rateable value for that rating list isn't held for this property yet, so we've left those years out rather than estimate them.
Every week we read the Valuation Office's own change files and record what moved. This is that record for this property — checked against VOA data published 5 Aug 2026.
Nothing has changed. The Valuation Office has not altered this entry since the 2026 rating list came into force, which is true of the large majority of properties — a rateable value normally only moves at a revaluation, or after someone asks for it to be looked at. We keep checking every week, and anything that does change will appear here.
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 propertyFY5 1AJ | Shop And PremisesFY5 1AJ · same postcode |
|---|---|---|
| Business name | Not published | Not published |
| Address | 47-51, VICTORIA ROAD WEST, THORNTON CLEVELEYS FY5 1AJ | 75, VICTORIA ROAD WEST, THORNTON CLEVELEYS FY5 1AJ |
| Ground Floor Sales | £108,513 803.8 m² · £135 | £121,394 714.1 m² · £170 |
| Internal Storage | £25,457 415.3 m² · £61 | £19,942 234.6 m² · £85 |
| Office | — | £3,413 28.7 m² · £119 |
| Staff Toilets | — | £0 0 m² · £0 |
| Rateable value | £139,000 | £150,000 |
| Floor area | 1219.1 m² | 977.4 m² |
| Last known bill / yr | Not published | Not published |
| Occupied | Not published | Not published |
| Distance | — | same postcode |
| 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. | — | 80% |
| Reliefs | 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.