Business rates

Rating Advisers

Ratepayers don’t have to be represented in discussions about their rateable value or rates bill. If you do wish to be represented, you can use the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and Institute of Revenues, Rating, and Valuation. Members of both are qualified and regulated by rules of professional conduct which protect the public.

Before you employ a rating adviser or company, check they have the knowledge and expertise you need, and indemnity insurance. Take extra care as you will be charged for using a rating agent or adviser.

How we process requests from third part agents or advisers

We accept template letters of authority for agents or advisers to act on behalf of clients. However, we will only consider these documents valid for a three month period.

We will not:

• Repeat information about reductions achieved by third-party agents or advisers. This applies where we’ve already sent the information to the ratepayer, and it’s been three months since the authority to act template was signed. If you need information on reductions received, this must be confirmed with the ratepayer who will have been told the amount and value.
• Update the forwarding address on the ratepayer’s account to the third-party agent’s address without a letter from the ratepayer* asking us to. (We won’t accept a signature on the third-party agent or adviser’s authority to act template).
• Pay any credit via reductions to a rating agent’s account without a letter from the ratepayer* asking us to. (We won’t accept a signature on the third-party agent’s or adviser’s authority to act template).

*The Director in the case of a limited company