/ Business rates guide
How to check your rateable value with the VO
Your business rates bill is built on one number: the rateable value the Valuation Office (VO) holds for your property. If that number is wrong, every bill based on it is wrong too — and most occupiers have never looked at the detail behind it.
Guide reviewed September 2026 · Business-Utility.com
What the rateable value actually represents
The rateable value is the Valuation Office's estimate of the annual open-market rent your property would command at a fixed valuation date, not what you actually pay. That is why a property with a cheap lease can still carry a high rateable value, and why the number does not move when your rent does.
Your council multiplies the rateable value by the multiplier set by government for the year, then deducts any reliefs. Two levers change your bill: the rateable value itself, and the reliefs applied. This guide covers the first.
Find your property on the rating list
Use the official Find and check your business rates valuation service on GOV.UK. Search by postcode, then pick the exact entry for your unit — larger buildings are often split into several assessments, and it is easy to open a neighbour's.
- Check the address and unit description match what you occupy today
- Note the rateable value and the list it belongs to
- Look for a second assessment covering space you no longer occupy
- Print or save the entry before you change anything
Read the detailed valuation, not just the headline number
After registering and claiming the property you can see how the figure was built: the measured areas, the rate applied to each, and additions for things like car parking, air conditioning or storage. This is where errors live. A survey done years ago may still describe a mezzanine you removed, a yard you gave back, or an area measured on the wrong basis.
- Compare every measured area against your own floor plan or lease plan
- Check the use codes — retail, office, storage and workshop carry very different rates
- Look for additions you do not have: air conditioning, sprinklers, loading bays, parking spaces
- Confirm the property has not been merged with, or split from, a neighbouring unit incorrectly
Common errors that inflate a valuation
Errors are usually factual rather than a matter of opinion, which makes them the strongest ground for a correction. If any of the following is true, the assessment likely overstates your liability.
- Floor areas larger than the space you actually occupy
- Space that has been demolished, sublet or handed back still included
- A physical change nearby — long-term roadworks, a closed anchor tenant, restricted access — not reflected
- Periods of refurbishment where the property was incapable of beneficial occupation
- Plant and machinery included that is not rateable, or has been removed
What to do when the figure looks wrong
A wrong factual detail is corrected through the Valuation Office's Check stage, and a disputed valuation through Challenge. Both have strict evidence requirements and deadlines, and a Challenge submitted without comparable evidence is usually rejected on the papers. Read our Check & Challenge guide before you start, and gather your floor plans, lease and photographs first.
Frequently asked questions
- Where do I find my rateable value?
- Search your property on the Valuation Office's Find a Business Rates Valuation service on GOV.UK. The rateable value is shown on the property's summary page, along with the valuation date it is based on.
- Is the rateable value the same as my bill?
- No. The rateable value is multiplied by the multiplier set by government for that year, and any reliefs are then deducted. Your council issues the bill, not the Valuation Office.
- Does a wrong floor area matter?
- Yes. Most non-domestic valuations are built from measured areas and rates per square metre, so an overstated area directly inflates the rateable value and every year's bill based on it.
- Can I see how my valuation was calculated?
- Yes. Once you have registered and claimed the property with the Valuation Office you can see the detailed valuation, including the areas and rates used.
Want us to check the assessment for you?
Send us the address and we'll pull the rating list entry, compare the measured areas against what you occupy, and tell you honestly whether there is a case worth running. No fee for the initial review.
Request a rates review