Free Business Rates Advice: What Help Is Available?

Related specialist guides

• What to do after a business rates enforcement notice

• Business rates reduction case study

• Council and VOA administration checklist

• Related specialist guides

  • What to do after a business rates enforcement notice

  • Business rates reduction case study

  • Council and VOA administration checklistDirect answer: Free business rates guidance is available from your council, the Valuation Office Agency and GOV.UK. These sources can explain the bill, rateable value and relief schemes, but they will not normally act as your independent representative. Professional advice may be useful when liability, relief, valuation or recovery is disputed.

Who deals with each issue?

• Your council: bills, payments, relief applications, occupation dates and recovery.

• The Valuation Office Agency: rateable values and property details in the rating list.

• GOV.UK: national guidance on business rates, reliefs and the Check, Challenge, Appeal process.

• An independent adviser: evidence review, strategy, representation and coordination between billing and valuation issues.

Checks you can make without paying an adviser

1. Compare the property address and description on the bill with the rating-list entry.

2. Check the liability start and end dates.

3. Confirm every payment and credit has been allocated correctly.

4. Review reliefs shown on the bill and any application decisions.

5. Check whether the rateable value reflects the correct property and use.

6. Keep copies of all notices, decisions and supporting evidence.

Evidence checklist

• Latest bill and account statement

• Lease, licence or completion documents

• Occupation and vacation evidence

• Floor plans and photographs

• Relief applications and council decisions

• VOA correspondence and Check or Challenge references

• Payment receipts and recovery notices

• Comparable property information where valuation is disputed

Practical example

A business receives a bill for a unit it left three months earlier. The first free step is to send the council the lease termination, dated photographs, meter readings and details of the new occupier. If the council still refuses to amend liability, an adviser can review the evidence and identify whether the dispute concerns billing, occupation or the rating-list entry.

When specialist help may add value

Consider independent help if a deadline is approaching, the property assessment is complex, the council and VOA give conflicting answers, significant recovery action has begun, or the potential saving justifies professional representation.

Ask any adviser to explain the proposed work, fees, authority, timescale and evidence required. Avoid guarantees of a reduction: each case depends on its facts and the applicable rules.

Official sources

• GOV.UK: Introduction to business rates

• GOV.UK: Business rates relief

• GOV.UK: Find a business rates valuation

• GOV.UK: Check your rateable value

Request an initial case review

Our Business Rates Consultants UK page explains how we review billing, relief, valuation and recovery matters.

Call to action: Send Business Rate Advisors Ltd your latest bill and a short explanation of the problem. We will identify the correct authority, the immediate evidence required and the sensible next step.

Author: Steve Adams, Business Rate Advisors LtdReviewed by: Business Rate Advisors LtdLast updated: 17 August 2026

General information for businesses in England; not legal, tax or insolvency advice.

Business rate blogging

I am finally back to do a bit of business rate blogging after an extended period of time not doing it, well pretty much since the Covid days.

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The majority of enquiries we have received in the past 18 months are to do with business rates relief and using the check and challenge service. Around half of our rate relief cases are because the council refused to grant the relief (SBRR or Extended Retail Relief), until we stepped in and got them it. The other half are from claims that the client preferred we took as an administrational task.

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Enquiries related to the check and challenge service have proved interesting. Obviously many people are trying to reduce their business rates liability, especially since the new revaluations on April 1st 2023, when many had risen by massive percentages. We have found savings for our customers, which is great news.

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Each week I will be updated this blog with new posts and information on how we can help you and how we can guide you through the business rates web.

In the meantime, check out BA Partnership in London, professional property services.

Business Rates Reduction Case Study: From £25,000 to £4,400

Case result: In this historic case, the annual business rates liability shown in the original file reduced from approximately £25,000 to £4,400 after the relevant property, valuation and billing evidence was reviewed. Results are fact-specific and cannot be guaranteed.

The issue

The business believed its rates liability did not reflect the correct circumstances of the property. A successful outcome required more than asking for a discount: the relevant authority needed evidence showing why the existing assessment or bill should change.

How a reduction can arise

A lower bill may result from a corrected rateable value, an amended property entry, a relief or exemption, corrected liability dates, or a combination of valuation and billing changes. These routes have different decision-makers and evidence requirements.

Evidence considered

• Business rates bills before and after the correction

• Rating-list entries and effective dates

• Lease and occupation documents

• Floor plans, measurements and dated photographs

• Information about the property's use and physical condition

• Relevant council and VOA correspondence

• Relief or exemption decisions, where applicable

The practical lesson

Start by diagnosing the problem correctly. The council controls billing and most relief decisions; the Valuation Office Agency maintains the rating list. Sending a valuation argument only to the council—or a payment-allocation problem only to the VOA—can delay the case.

Build a dated evidence file before submitting representations. Record the original amount, the legal or factual basis for the requested correction, the supporting documents, the decision and the revised bill.

Understanding the figures

The headline compares the approximate annual liability before and after the successful correction. It does not mean every £25,000 bill can be reduced to £4,400, and it should not be read as a forecast for another property. Transitional arrangements, multipliers, supplements and reliefs can also affect the final amount payable.

Questions to ask about your own bill

1. Is the property description and floor area correct?

2. Are the liability dates accurate?

3. Has the council applied every eligible relief?

4. Does the rateable value reflect the correct property and use?

5. Are there duplicate or obsolete entries?

6. Is a Check, Challenge or other correction route appropriate?

Official sources

• GOV.UK: Find a business rates valuation

• GOV.UK: Check your rateable value

• GOV.UK: Business rates relief

Request a bill and valuation review

Our Business Rates Appeal Specialists service can identify whether the issue concerns valuation, relief, liability or account administration.

Call to action: Send us the latest bill, the rating-list entry and any floor plans or council/VOA decisions. We will explain the evidence gaps and the appropriate next step.

Author: Steve Adams, Business Rate Advisors LtdReviewed by: Business Rate Advisors LtdLast updated: 17 August 2026

Client-identifying details are withheld. Figures are taken from the historic case record and rounded for clarity. This case study is not a guarantee of savings.