VOA Check and Challenge for Business Rates

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Think your rateable value is wrong? We can investigate it properly. Your business rates bill is calculated using the rateable value placed on your property by the Valuation Office Agency. That assessment can be wrong for several reasons. The VOA may have used incorrect floor areas, relied on unsuitable comparable properties, misunderstood how the premises are occupied or failed to reflect features that reduce the property’s rental value.

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Business Rate Advisors Ltd reviews disputed assessments and prepares evidence-based Check and Challenge cases for businesses, landlords and property owners. We do not simply submit a request for a lower figure. We examine the assessment, identify the grounds for altering it and build the case around the available facts and valuation evidence.

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Request a free initial review

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Send us your latest business rates bill and a brief explanation of why you believe the assessment is wrong.

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What is Check, Challenge, Appeal? Check, Challenge, Appeal is the formal process used to dispute a business rates assessment. The three stages serve different purposes:

 

Check

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The Check stage establishes whether the factual information held by the VOA is correct.

This may include:

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• The floor areas

• The property layout

• The description and use

• The number of floors or rooms

• The identity of the occupier

• The extent of the property being assessed

• The date from which an alteration should take effect

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A Check is normally required before the rateable value can be challenged. It therefore needs to be prepared with the eventual Challenge in mind.

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Challenge

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If the assessment remains wrong after Check, the next stage is a formal Challenge. 

The Challenge must explain:

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• Why the existing assessment is wrong

• The grounds on which the rating list should be altered

• The rateable value or other alteration being proposed

• The date from which the alteration should take effect

• How the evidence supports the proposed outcome

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This is the substantive valuation stage. It is not enough to say that the business rates bill is too expensive or that another property has a lower assessment. The submission must explain why the VOA’s valuation is wrong and why the proposed alternative is better supported.

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Appeal

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If the VOA does not agree with the Challenge, it may issue a decision maintaining or only partly altering the assessment.

Where there are proper grounds to continue, the decision can be appealed to the Valuation Tribunal. The Tribunal is independent of the VOA and will consider the evidence and arguments presented by both parties.

An appeal should be approached as a formal valuation dispute. It may require a statement of case, valuation schedules, supporting documents and a clear response to the evidence relied upon by the VOA.

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When might a Check and Challenge be appropriate?

 

There may be grounds for a case where:

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• The rateable value appears excessive

• The VOA has measured the property incorrectly

• Areas have been included that do not form part of the occupation

• Ancillary or inferior accommodation has been valued too highly

• The property has been compared with unsuitable premises

• The actual rental evidence has not been properly considered

• The property is affected by its layout, condition, access or location

• Separate occupations have been assessed as one property

• One occupation has been divided into several assessments

• The property should be removed from the rating list

• The effective date of an alteration is wrong

• A material change in the locality has affected the property

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Every case turns on its own facts. A neighbouring property with a lower rateable value may be relevant, but it is not proof on its own that your assessment is wrong.

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How we assess your rateable value

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Our first task is to understand how the VOA has arrived at the assessment.

Depending on the type of property, we may examine:

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• The VOA’s detailed valuation

• Floor areas and survey information

• The method of valuation used

• The price applied per square metre

• Zoning calculations for retail premises

• Rental evidence at or around the relevant valuation date

• Rent-free periods, incentives and service charges

• Comparable assessments

• Differences in size, age, specification and condition

• Access, visibility and location

• The balance between primary and ancillary accommodation

• The physical occupation and control of each area

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We then consider whether the evidence supports the existing assessment, a lower rateable value or a different alteration to the rating list. If we do not believe there is a reasonable basis for proceeding, we will say so.

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The evidence needed for a Challenge

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A successful Challenge depends on evidence, not simply dissatisfaction with the bill.

Useful documents can include:

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• The latest business rates bill

• The VOA valuation

• A lease, licence or tenancy agreement

• Rent review documents

• Details of rent-free periods or other incentives

• Floor plans or measured surveys

• Dated photographs

• Planning or building-control documents

• Evidence of building works

• Details of occupation and use

• Information about comparable properties

• Previous correspondence with the VOA or council

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The evidence required will depend on what is being challenged. A floor-area dispute needs different evidence from a rental-value case, property split or deletion application. We will explain what is relevant and what is unlikely to assist.

 

What our Check and Challenge service includes

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Our work may include:

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• Reviewing the current rating assessment

• Obtaining and examining the VOA valuation

• Checking the factual property information

• Reviewing plans, leases, photographs and rental evidence

• Researching comparable properties

• Identifying the correct grounds for the case

• Advising on the alteration and effective date to be sought

• Preparing and submitting the Check

• Reviewing the Check decision

• Preparing the Challenge statement

• Producing a valuation or schedule of proposed alterations

• Organising and submitting the supporting evidence

• Responding to enquiries from the VOA

• Reviewing any proposed agreement

• Advising on the VOA’s final decision

• Preparing for a Valuation Tribunal appeal where separately agreed

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You will deal directly with Steve Adams or Mark Allen throughout the case. 

 

Why the Check stage matters

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The Check stage is sometimes treated as a simple administrative formality. That can be a mistake. The information confirmed or disputed during Check establishes the factual basis of the later Challenge. If the wrong issue is raised, an important date is missed or the property details are accepted without proper examination, it can make the valuation case harder to pursue.

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Before submitting a Check, we consider:

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• Exactly what is wrong

• What alteration should be requested

• The date from which it should apply

• What evidence is available

• Whether a separate Challenge is likely to be required

• Whether the proposed alteration could have wider consequences

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This allows the case to be prepared in a logical sequence from the outset.

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Why the Challenge needs to be complete

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A Challenge must be supported by a clear statement and the relevant evidence. The proposed rateable value and effective date must also be identified where applicable. Supporting evidence should normally be submitted with the Challenge. Further evidence may only be admitted later in limited circumstances, so it is important to prepare the case properly before it is filed. There are also time limits. A Challenge will normally need to be submitted within four months of the Check decision. If that deadline is missed, the right to continue the case may be lost. We record the relevant dates and make sure the submission addresses the VOA’s requirements.

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Could a Challenge increase the rateable value?

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Yes. A Check or Challenge can result in the assessment going down, remaining unchanged or increasing. This is why we review the whole valuation before recommending that a case is submitted. It would be unwise to challenge one part of an assessment without considering whether the VOA may identify other areas that have been omitted or undervalued.

No responsible adviser should guarantee that every Challenge will produce a reduction. Our role is to assess the evidence, explain the risks and give you a realistic view before the case proceeds.

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Will submitting a Challenge stop the business rates bill?

 

Usually not.

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Your local council calculates and collects the bill using the rateable value currently shown in the rating list. Unless the council agrees otherwise, the existing charge normally remains payable while a VOA case is being considered.

If the rateable value is later reduced, the VOA will alter the rating list and the council should recalculate the account. This may lead to a refund or credit, subject to the circumstances of the case and any applicable transitional arrangements.

If you are also facing arrears, a summons or enforcement action, tell us immediately. The council liability and recovery position may need to be addressed separately from the valuation case.

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How long does Check and Challenge take?

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Timescales vary considerably. A straightforward factual correction may be resolved relatively quickly. A disputed valuation, complex property split or case requiring an inspection can take much longer. The VOA’s workload, the quality of the evidence and the complexity of the property will all affect the time required. We cannot control how quickly the VOA makes its decision, but we can avoid unnecessary delay by preparing a clear and properly supported submission.

We will keep you informed when there is a material development in the case.

 

Can I submit the case myself?

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You can manage your own Check and Challenge through a business rates valuation account.

The difficulty is not usually finding the online form. It is deciding:

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• Whether the assessment is actually wrong

• Which legal or valuation grounds apply

• What alteration should be proposed

• What effective date should be requested

• Which evidence is relevant

• How the evidence should be presented

• Whether the proposed change creates a risk elsewhere in the assessment

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If the rateable value is substantial or the issue is complex, taking advice before making the submission can prevent avoidable mistakes.

 

The 2026 Rating List. New rateable values took effect on 1 April 2026. A change from the previous list does not, by itself, prove that the new assessment is wrong. Each property has been valued by reference to the statutory valuation date and the rental market applicable to the 2026 Rating List. We can examine the new assessment, compare it with the underlying property information and advise whether there is a reasonable basis for a Check and Challenge. If the VOA has recently altered, added or deleted an assessment in the previous 2023 Rating List, separate time limits may apply. Send us the notice as soon as possible so that we can establish the relevant deadline.

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Why choose Business Rate Advisors Ltd?

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Established business rates specialists

Business Rate Advisors Ltd has assisted businesses with rating and council liability matters since 2013.

Direct adviser contact

Your case will be handled directly by Steve Adams or Mark Allen.

Proper consideration of the evidence

We review valuations, leases, plans, rents, photographs, occupation arrangements and comparable assessments rather than relying on a standard letter.

Clear and realistic advice

We will explain the strengths, weaknesses and risks of the case before recommending how it should proceed.

England and Wales coverage

We represent businesses, property owners and landlords throughout England and Wales.

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Request a free initial review

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Send us:

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• Your latest business rates bill

• The full property address

• The VOA property reference, if available

• A brief explanation of what you believe is wrong

• Any valuation, lease, plan, photographs or VOA correspondence you already have

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We will carry out an initial review and explain whether the matter appears suitable for further investigation.

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Call Steve Adams on 07415 048643

Call Mark Allen on 07376 443943

Office: 01225 667747

Request a Free Review

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Click here for property deletions or click here for property splits