Time limits
The 2026 rating list runs until the next revaluation, expected in 2029, and Check and Challenge can in principle be started at any point during that period — but earlier is better, because any reduction usually only applies from when you register the Check, not backdated to the start of the list.
England recorded 13,710 checks against the 2026 rating list by 30 June 2026, against 127,880 checks in January-March 2026 as ratepayers rushed to close out the old 2023 list (HMRC official statistics, 'Non-domestic rating: challenges and changes', June 2026).
The Valuation Office has up to 18 months to decide a Challenge once it's properly made, so starting early in the list's life gives more time for a resolution — and more years over which any saving applies — than starting close to the list's end in 2029.
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.