Employing a rating advisor

Before you employ a rating advisor to act on your behalf to make an appeal against the rateable value of your property you should make sure they have the

  • necessary knowledge and expertiseand
  • appropriate indemnity insurance.

Members of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors  and the Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation  are regulated by rules of professional conduct designed to protect the public from misconduct.

You should also be wary of false or misleading claims.

We are aware of agents who do not explain, for example, that a reduction in rateable value may not necessarily lead to a reduction in the amount of rates you will have to pay. This is because there are overriding limits on how much rates bills can change from year to year under the transitional relief scheme.