Challenging your business rates valuation
If you disagree with your property’s rateable value set by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), you can challenge it using your business rates valuation account.
Applies to England and Wales
When you can submit a challenge
You must submit a check case and receive a decision before you can start a challenge.
The VOA updates the valuation of non-domestic properties every three years, known as a revaluation. Revaluation 2026 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.
You will not be able to make changes to your previous valuation once your new valuation comes into effect on 1 April 2026. From this date, you can challenge a previous valuation only if a check case was submitted by 31 March 2026.
You can challenge the valuation of your non-domestic property:
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within 4 months of receiving a check case decision
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within 16 months of your check case submission if the challenge is about a change in the surrounding area (such as roadworks)
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if the VOA has not made a decision on your check case after 12 months
You must have a valid reason, known as grounds, to send a challenge:
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the valuation is wrong
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the property should not be valued at all
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the property needs to be split or merged
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the property details in the published list of business rates valuations are wrong
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the valuation is wrong due to a legal decision on another property
When you cannot submit a challenge
You cannot submit a challenge for a property more than once:
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against the same valuation
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on the same grounds
If you want to make another challenge based on grounds you have previously used, it must be a wholly new circumstance with a different effective date.
Example
If you submit a challenge due to roadworks, you cannot submit a second challenge for those roadworks. You can raise a check case and challenge for new unrelated roadworks that started at a different date. If you submit a challenge twice for the same roadworks issue, your second challenge will not be valid.
You also cannot submit a challenge against the outcome of a previous challenge. If you disagree with a challenge decision, you will need to appeal with the Valuation Tribunal.
Before you submit a challenge
Review your valuation and compare it to the valuations of similar properties to see if your property has been valued fairly. Compare their:
- location
- age
- size
- purpose
- differences
You can find out more about how the VOA values non-domestic properties.
When submitting a challenge, you need to provide:
- the reason for your challenge
- evidence that the valuation is wrong
- a statement that supports your challenge
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a proposed new rateable value and the date it should start from
- rent details, including rent-free periods, for the property if it is a rental (even if you are the landlord)
Your evidence must show why your current valuation is wrong. It can include:
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valuations of similar local properties
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legal decisions
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any other documents that support your challenge, such as photographs of the land or property and local environment
In your supporting statement, clearly state why you are making a challenge and summarise your evidence. Explain how your evidence supports your challenge and why your proposed rateable value is correct in the statement.
How to make a challenge
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Sign in to your business rates valuation account.
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Select the list of properties in the ‘Your properties’ section.
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Select the property whose valuation you want to challenge.
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Select its current valuation.
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Open the ‘Checks’ tab and select ‘Start a challenge’.
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Select the reason for your challenge and continue.
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Upload your supporting evidence.
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Enter your proposed rateable value.
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Upload a supporting statement summarising your evidence and argument.
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Review your challenge and submit.
You must submit all your evidence together when sending your challenge. You can only submit further evidence later in exceptional circumstances, for example, if the evidence did not exist until part way through a challenge.
You may have to pay a penalty if you knowingly submit false information to the VOA.
After you submit a challenge
The VOA will review your evidence and may contact you to discuss your challenge. If we agree with your case, we’ll change the valuation and send you written confirmation.
If we partly agree with your case, we’ll send an agreement form that you need to complete and return.
If you and the VOA do not agree on an outcome, we’ll issue a decision. We will explain our view and state any amendments to the valuation we intend to make. We will send this to the person making the challenge and the ratepayer, if they are not the same person.
If the VOA needs more information or evidence, we will contact you. You need to provide this within the time limit we give. If you do not:
- the VOA may make a decision without the information
- your challenge may become invalid without the needed evidence and not result in a decision
Your rateable value and business rates bills may go up, down or remain the same following a challenge.
Sharing your challenge information
The VOA will share information about your challenge in line with the check and challenge privacy notice.
If you have not submitted a challenge, but are the owner or occupier of a property, you can ask:
- for updates on the progress of the challenge
- to consent to any agreed alteration
To request updates on the challenge:
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Email ccaservice@voa.gov.uk with the request.
The VOA will let you know the outcome of the challenge and what that means for your property.
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.
If you cannot challenge a valuation through your business rates valuation account, email ccaservice@voa.gov.uk or contact the VOA to request it manually.
Updates to this page
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Clearer instructions added for how to submit a challenge.
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Added information related to check deadline ahead of revaluation 2026.
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The 'Sharing your challenge information with others' section has been updated in line with practices.
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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.