Rating advisors

As a ratepayer you do not have to be professionally represented in discussions with the Valuation Office Agency about a rateable value or about a rates bill with the council; you can do this yourself.  Appeals against rateable values are free of charge.

Your premises is given a rateable value by the Valuation Office Agency which we then use to calculate how much business rates you should pay.

You can query your rateable value by contacting the Valuation Office Agency. There’s no charge for this. Telephone (Wales): 03000 505 505.

If you prefer, you can get help from a qualified rating surveyor through one of the following organisations: -

• Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) 
• Rating Surveyors Association
• Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation    

Members of the above organisations are qualified and regulated by rules of professional conduct designed to protect the public from misconduct.

The council is not in a position to make any recommendation or even advise on the benefits or otherwise of using rating advisors, however, you should check that the organisation or person you ask to help you is registered with one of the organisations listed above.

You may be charged for any advice you get from a rating surveyor right from the start.

You can call the RICS enquiry line on 0870 333 1600 for advice. The first 30 minutes’ advice is free but you may be charged certain call costs by your telephone service provider when making the telephone call.

Find out about call charges on the GOV.UK website.