Daycare Nursery Saves over £7,000 on Their Business Rates with RVA Surveyors
Case study:
Daycare Nursery | Nottinghamshire
Our client is a well-respected nursery in Nottingham, providing childcare for children aged 6 weeks to 5 years. They appointed RVA Surveyors to carry out a detailed review of their business rates and identify any potential savings.
KEY
FACTS
£7,186
SAVINGS
Nursery
PROPERTY TYPE
March ’26
REVIEW COMPLETED
The Problem
During the inspection, one of RVA’s expert surveyors carried out an initial review. The factual details, such as the property’s measurements and floor plans were all correct, meaning there were no grounds to proceed through a Check.
However, further investigation revealed the property had been placed in the wrong valuation scheme meaning there were grounds to proceed with a Challenge. While the premises operate as a nursery, the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) had incorrectly categorised it under an office scheme.
Nurseries also are assessed differently from other commercial properties. Instead of being valued based on physical space, business rates for nurseries are calculated by the number of child spaces available at full capacity. And due to our clients’ property being placed in the wrong scheme, calculating the physical space instead of child spaces, this affected the business rates and inflated their liabilities.
The Solution
To address this, our surveyor gathered detailed evidence to support a formal Challenge and request a change of scheme. This involved researching similar nurseries in the local area, including property sizes and child capacity, to build strong comparable evidence. A copy of the lease agreement for the property was also included to further support the case.
With the evidence submitted, however, the VOA requested a site visit to carry out their own assessment following the proposed change in scheme.
The Outcome
Following their visit, the VOA accepted the Challenge and moved the property into the correct scheme. This resulted in a reduction in Rateable Value from £26,250 to £21,000, and delivering total savings of £7,185.87, backdated to May 2023.
As the review was completed within the 2023 rating list, the client not only secured historic savings but will also benefit from reduced rates throughout the 2026 rating list.
