Nationwide Commercial Vehicle Hire Save Thousands Through Merge of Premises
Case study:
Commercial Vehicle Hire Service | Gateshead, North East
A nationwide van and truck hire service with multiple locations from the South East to Scotland save over £25,000 by reviewing their business rates through RVA Surveyors.
KEY
FACTS
£25,475.25
TOTAL SAVINGS
Warehouse
PROPERTY TYPE
July ’26
REVIEW COMPLETED
The Client
With locations across England and Scotland, our client is a leading commercial truck and van hire service with over 110 years of experience in the industry. Ahead of the 2026 revaluation, they instructed RVA Surveyors to review multiple locations across England, including their Gateshead premises, which consisted of a large warehouse and adjoining office building.
The Problem
Before the inspection, our client had asked us to review the warehouse premises only. However, when our surveyor arrived on site, they identified that the client also occupied an adjoining office building.
Although both the warehouse and office were occupied by our client, the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) had assessed the properties separately, creating two individual assessments with a combined rateable value (RV) of £95,250.
As our client occupied both premises, our surveyor identified an opportunity to bring the two assessments together through a Check to Merge, potentially leading to an overall reduction in our client’s rateable value and business rates liability.
The Solution
To support the Check to Merge, our surveyor needed to provide evidence that our client occupied both the warehouse and adjoining office building.
The first step to collect evidence was to inspect both premises and confirm that the total areas and property information held by the VOA were accurate. The inspection found that the measurements for both buildings matched the VOA’s records, allowing the Check to proceed.
Photographs and a copy of the lease were then submitted to the VOA as evidence of our client’s occupation of both properties. As the office building was attached to the warehouse, our surveyor was also able to argue that both premises should be assessed under the same valuation scheme. This resulted in a lower overall tone (£ per m²) and provided a further opportunity to reduce the client’s liability.
Although the Check was submitted before the 2026 rating list came into effect, the VOA’s decision was not received until after the client’s new rateable value had taken effect, increasing from £95,250 to £111,500.
However, because the Check had been submitted before the 2026 rating list commenced, the successful outcome could be applied across both the 2023 and 2026 rating lists.
The Outcome
The VOA accepted our Check to Merge, resulting in reductions across both rating lists and total savings of £25,475.25 for our client.
The 2023 rating list saw the combined rateable value reduced from £95,250 to £78,000. This reduction then directly impacted the client’s assessment for the 2026 rating list, reducing the total rateable value from £111,500 to £101,000.
By identifying the adjoining office building during the initial inspection and successfully bringing both assessments together, RVA Surveyors secured a reduction across two rating lists and delivered significant savings for the client.
