Questions, answered.

Business rates are the tax on most non-domestic properties. Your bill starts with your property's rateable value, an estimate of annual open-market rent at the list's valuation date. An excessive value can increase your bill, but reliefs and transitional arrangements affect whether a reduction produces actual savings.

We compare your rateable value against measured, like-for-like assessments in the same local list. If it is materially above the evidenced £/m² tone, the checker may indicate a potential overassessment. That is not a conclusion: property facts, scheme and comparables still require specialist verification.

The check is free. A success fee applies only when an accepted case records a lower rateable value and actual recovery. We add the actual billing refund to the verified annual bill saving multiplied by the time remaining in the list from the decision date, then charge 25% of that total, plus VAT where applicable. This includes future savings. Appeals and third-party costs require separate agreement.

The effective date and billing adjustment depend on the facts, the decision and the current list rules. The checker shows a gross list-start estimate, but your billing authority confirms any actual credit after a successful change.

You give written authority, appoint the contracting Ratewise entity through the official service, verify your property facts and provide evidence. We prepare and manage the case, but you remain responsible for ensuring information supplied to the Valuation Office is accurate.

A named rating specialist reviews the valuation evidence before a formal submission. You can see the recorded reviewer identity and reasoning in your case. AI can help prepare material; it cannot approve the valuation.

We say when the automated evidence shows no material indication, or when evidence is insufficient. That is not proof every property fact is correct, but we will not manufacture a Challenge from an unsupported screen.

The checker covers official rating-list entries in England and Wales. The procedural rules and deadlines are not identical, so the engagement and approved case route must confirm the correct jurisdiction. Scotland and Northern Ireland use separate systems and are not supported.