Checked against the rating list and the rules in force as at 2026-08-23.
Three kinds of people do this work: your accountant, a rating surveyor, and consultants who charge a share of what they recover. Fees run from fixed sums to hourly rates to a percentage. Don’t compare on the percentage alone. The same 15% can mean very different things depending on what counts as a saving.
Your accountant. They already hold your figures. Business rates usually sit outside an accountant’s regular work, so they may well spot an Employment Allowance problem buried in payroll and be less at home with a valuation challenge.
A rating surveyor. Valuation appeals are what they do, particularly on larger properties. The corollary is a higher entry point, and a single small restaurant may not get their attention.
Contingency-fee consultants, which is what we are. No recovery, no fee. It suits cases where the sum is meaningful but not large and the owner has no time to chase it. Quality varies widely across the group, which is what the questions below are for.
What counts as a saving? Money your council has confirmed in writing, or an estimate of what you might get?
Which period does the fee apply to? This is where the variation is greatest. Get it into the agreement.
Is anything payable if nothing is found? Survey fees, assessment fees, report fees.
What happens if you withdraw? Whether you can, and what it costs.
Which legal entity are you contracting with? Name, company number, registered address.
Ask all five of any firm, this one included, and ask for the answers in writing.
One thing: 15% of savings your council confirms in writing. No survey fee, no assessment fee, no monthly retainer. If nothing is recovered, nothing is payable.
The period the fee applies to depends on the type of claim and is set out in the letter of engagement.
A small business rate relief claim is a free form on your council’s website. Where that is the whole of it, we tell you, and you are then choosing between an afternoon of your own time and 15% of what it recovers.
Every retail and hospitality premises in London has been checked against the official rating list. Enter your address to see yours. No sign-up, no phone number.
Public data only. We do not ask for your rates bill, and there is nothing to upload.
If there's nothing to save, we say so.
Send your address, or a photo of your bill, and we’ll tell you within one working day whether there is anything worth looking at. WhatsApp 07594 933857.
If there's nothing to save, we say so. James replies personally within one working day, usually sooner. We reply by WhatsApp, text or email, never a cold call. No mailing lists.
Sources: Using a rating agent (GOV.UK)
Each borough page carries the spread of rateable values and the value per square metre, by type of premises. It also ranks the most expensive streets in the borough. Those aggregations are ours.
We checked 109,537 London retail and hospitality premises against the 2026 rating list — seeing your street’s figures is free, no sign-up.