How to choose a rating surveyor and spot rogue agents
The rates appeals sector has a rogue fringe. Here's how to check a firm before you sign anything.
The Valuation Office's own advice is blunt: don't let an agent choose you. Cold calls, doorstep visits and unsolicited emails promising a guaranteed reduction are the classic opening of a rogue agent, not a reputable one.
Checks to make before you sign
- Is the firm on the RICS regulated-firms register, or listed with the RSA or IRRV?
- Has the Valuation Office refused to deal with them? In December 2025 the VOA publicly refused to deal with one individual and five companies over their conduct.
- Do their written terms meet the RICS Rating Consultancy Code's minimum contents, including a signed declaration that no result is guaranteed?
- Do they claim a guaranteed reduction, quote a "typical saving" as if it were yours, or pressure you with a fake deadline? All three break the rating profession's own code.
- Will they let you appoint them through your own valuation account, where you can see the appointment yourself, rather than asking you to hand over full control?
Fee structures, in plain terms
There's no set scale. Published terms range from about 20% of savings with no exit fee, to a non-refundable percentage of RV upfront plus a share of first-year savings. A fair contract ties the fee to an actual cash saving reaching your bill — not just to a lower number on paper that a cap or relief then absorbs.
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.