Direct answer
Is my rateable value too high?
Possibly, but a large increase alone does not prove it. The stronger warning signs are wrong property facts, a valuation that looks high against genuinely comparable properties, or evidence that the valuation basis does not fit the property.
The shortest useful answer: first verify the official property record. Then calculate the change and £/m². Only after that should you treat comparator evidence as meaningful.
Signs worth investigating
- The recorded floor area, use, levels or other important property facts look wrong.
- Your £/m² is materially above a set of genuinely similar properties valued on a relevant basis.
- Your increase is far outside the broad 2026 movement for your sector and you cannot explain why.
- The property changed, or did not change, in a way the valuation record appears not to reflect.
Things that look alarming but prove little by themselves
A 30%, 50% or even larger increase can feel obviously wrong. The 2026 revaluation moved aggregate values across whole sectors, so percentage change is a clue rather than a verdict. A neighbouring property with a lower figure is also not automatically comparable.
What should I check first?
- Find your official 2026 valuation on GOV.UK.
- Compare it with the 2023 figure.
- Check the recorded property details.
- Calculate the 2026 rateable value per square metre where that measure is relevant.
- Compare only with properties you can justify as genuinely similar.
Can I check this without giving someone my phone number?
Yes. The free Business Rates X-Ray runs its calculation in your browser and does not require a phone number or email address. It is designed to be useful even when the answer is that no strong anomaly is visible.