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.
Same use class and scheme, within about 1 km. The tall bar is you.
Zone A £/m² — the rate the Valuation Office applies to your frontage zone (Zone A) — the value of that zone divided by its area, not your whole rateable value divided by your whole floor area, so properties of different sizes can be compared like-for-like, before anything is applied to it: the multiplier, reliefs or your final bill. Source: 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. 2026 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..
Every shop the Valuation Office values on the same scheme as you — the comparison that actually decides your rate
| Comparable | Distance | Floor area | RV | Zone A £/m² | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| same postcode | 47.6 m² | £9,400 | £240 | 20% | |
| same postcode | 66.3 m² | £9,400 | £240 | 27% | |
| same postcode | 74 m² | £11,000 | £240 | 31% | |
| same postcode | 143.2 m² | £20,250 | £240 | 59% | |
| same postcode | 205.5 m² | £19,000 | £240 | 85% | |
| same postcode | 249.7 m² | £18,000 | £240 | 97% | |
| same postcode | 115.7 m² | £20,250 | £264 | 48% | |
| 50 m | 77.9 m² | £12,000 | £240 | 32% | |
| Your property | — | 242 m² | £20,250 | £240 | — |
Parade Zone A £/m² ≈ £240/m². Your unit is assessed at £240/m². Distances are approximate and measured from your property.
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.
Your Zone A rate of £240/m² is the rate the Valuation Office applies right across your own parade — 85 other shops on that same scheme carry exactly the same rate. Shops elsewhere nearby may be assessed lower, but the Valuation Office prices each scheme on its own trading position, so that is a difference between locations, not an error in your assessment. Challenging it would mean arguing the whole scheme's rate is wrong, which affects every shop on it and is a specialist surveyor's argument, not a comparables one. So: no grounds on the rate, and no fee. The floor-area and relief checks below don't depend on the rate and are where cases like yours are more often won.
Everything you need to challenge your rates with confidence — or to hand straight to a surveyor. One report, yours to keep.
Official VOA data · no account needed
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.
Independent service — not endorsed by the VOA/HMRC. Business Rate Checker is an independent service. We use published rating-list data under licence, but the Valuation Office Agency (now part of HMRC) does not endorse, back, verify or take any responsibility for this site, our comparisons or our estimates. Official rateable values and any formal decisions come only from the VOA/HMRC.