Adding a property to your business rates valuation account
You need to add a property to your business rates valuation account before you can view its rateable value or challenge its valuation.
Applies to England and Wales
Watch this video to find out how to add a property to your business rates valuation account.
How to claim your property for business rates
You can also read the guidance on this page.
How to add your property
- Sign in to your business rates valuation account.
- Select the ‘Add a property’ link in the ‘Your properties’ section on the dashboard.
- Search for your property by postcode or street and town. You can also use advanced search methods such as address, local council and special category code.
- Select ‘Add property ’. This takes you to the ‘Add a property to your account’ page.
- Select ‘Start now’.
- Answer the questions about your connection to the property.
- Select the type of evidence you have.
- Upload your evidence in a Word file, Excel sheet, PDF or image format.
- Continue to the review page, tick the declaration and select ‘Confirm and send’ to submit your request.
We ask for evidence to make sure you have the right to see and amend a property’s details. Supporting evidence can include:
- business rates bills sent by your local council
- lease agreements
- utility bills
Working with agents
Your agents should not add your properties to their valuation accounts. After you appoint an agent, assign the relevant properties to them through your business rates valuation account. They will not be able to see your properties if you do not complete this step.
After you have submitted your evidence
We will review your evidence. We may contact you if we need more information. It can take up to 15 working days for your request to be approved after you submit all your evidence. Once approved, your property is added to your account. You can then:
- view the details the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) holds about your property
- request changes to details if they’re wrong
We may refuse your request to add a property to your account if we cannot determine your relationship to the property.
Requesting changes to your property details
To tell the VOA that your rateable value or property details need changing, you must submit a check case.
The VOA updates the valuation of non-domestic properties every three years, known as a revaluation. The 2026 revaluation will come into effect on 1 April 2026. If you need to report changes to your current valuation, you must raise a check case by 31 March 2026. Changes you report to your current valuation will carry over to the 2026 valuation.
It can take up to 15 days to add a property to your account. You must submit your request in time for it to be approved before the 31 March 2026 deadline.
If your property’s valuation is not available online
You can only submit a check case against an available valuation. The valuation details for some properties may not be available online. In this case, sign in to your business rates valuation account, select the property and start your detailed valuation request using the dedicated button.
You should receive the valuation within 20 working days after submitting your request.
If you need to make an urgent change to your details
If an external problem in your local area affects your property’s rateable value, it is known as a Material Change of Circumstances (MCC). If the problem is temporary, you must submit a check case while it is ongoing. If you need to submit a check case urgently for this reason, email ccaservice@voa.gov.uk and ask for your request to be prioritised if you’re still waiting:
- for your property claim to be approved
- to receive a copy of your detailed valuation and check form
Use the subject line ‘Urgent: external Material Change of Circumstances’. Include the property address and your submission ID or reference number in the email.
If your property is not on the business rates list
If your property is not on the business rates list, you can request to add it by emailing ndrinbox@voa.gov.uk.
The VOA will review your request and determine if your property should be on the business rates list. If your request is approved, we will add it to the list. You can then add the property to your account and manage your valuation. If your request is denied, we will give you the reason and how you can challenge this decision if you wish to do so.
Extra support
The VOA can give you extra support if you have a health condition or personal circumstance that makes using our online service difficult.
Updates to this page
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Added clearer instructions for using the service.
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A Welsh translation has been added.
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Updated information for Wales
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Updated for the 2023 rating list
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First published.