TheRatesHub: business rates software for UK rates advisers

The problem: too many tools for one appeal

A typical business rates appeal pulls information from several places. The adviser looks up the property in the VOA valuation list and hunts for comparables. They search Valuation Tribunal decisions, often one PDF at a time, and work out liability and reliefs in a spreadsheet. Then they draft the proposal in Word and send it through a separate e-signature service. Each step means another subscription and another copy of the same client details.

That retyping is where the time goes, and it’s where mistakes creep in. A figure copied wrongly from a spreadsheet into a proposal can weaken an appeal. And a practice paying for four tools still has no single view of where each client’s case is up to.

What we built

TheRatesHub replaces that patchwork with one system, built around how rates advisers work day to day.

• Property search and benchmarking. A searchable copy of VOA property records (the site states 3.5M+ properties), with comparables by £/m² and scheme quartiles, so an adviser can see quickly whether a rateable value looks high.
• Tribunal research. Full-text search across published Valuation Tribunal decisions (the site states 3,750+), so precedent is a search away instead of a folder of PDFs.
• Rates engine. A liability and relief calculator that includes transitional relief.
• Client CRM and paperwork. Clients and appeals in one place, Word (.docx) templates that fill in from the client record, and e-signature built in.
• AI assistant. Ask about a property in plain English on the web or through Telegram, send voice notes that are transcribed and filed, or photograph a rates bill to pull out the key details. Nothing the assistant suggests is saved until the adviser confirms it.
• Security. Client data is encrypted with AES-256-GCM, and logins use two-factor authentication.

How it helps rates advisers

An adviser can go from “is this assessment too high?” to a drafted, signed appeal without leaving the platform. Client details are entered once and reused in every letter and proposal, which cuts the retyping and the errors that come with it. The practice pays for one system instead of several and can see every live case on one screen.

The VOA data is refreshed every night, so the comparables advisers rely on stay current.

Try it

Anyone can open a private demo from the home page. Enter a work email, click the link that arrives, and explore a sandbox for two hours with no password or card. Advisers who’d rather be shown round can book a 15-minute call.

Building TheRatesHub taught us how to turn a messy, multi-tool process into one piece of software. We do the same for clients.

Related service: App & software development