Check, Challenge, Appeal
Red flags: spotting a rogue agent
- Cold calls or doorstep visits, especially ones that create urgency ("the deadline is this week")
- A guaranteed reduction, or a "typical saving of £X" quoted as if it applies to you specifically
- Large upfront fees, especially for a small venue where the potential saving is modest
- Pressure to sign an appointment without time to check the firm's RICS status or read the terms
- No RICS registration, and no answer when you ask
- A firm the Valuation Office has publicly refused to deal with — in December 2025 the VOA refused to deal with one individual and five companies over their conduct
A cold-calling appeals firm was wound up by the High Court in recent years after taking more than £2.6 million in upfront fees from small businesses. Trading Standards report complaints about upfront-fee appeal firms at every revaluation.
See our full guide:
how to choose a rating surveyor and spot rogue agents.We're a bar owner's information site, not a surveyor. If you send this form, we may pass your details to a RICS-regulated rating firm we work with, who will contact you. They would pay us if you instruct them. You can check your valuation yourself free on the Valuation Office's service. No one can guarantee a reduction.
Page last reviewed: . Written by Lee Tobin. Not legal, tax or professional valuation advice.