Business rates advice in Epsom
Epsom's commercial property is a town-centre retail core, two tightly packed industrial estates and a scatter of offices and leisure, all of it revalued for the 2026 list. The borough's total rateable value rose 16.2%, but the industrial figure rose 22.2% while retail rose 12.0%, so where your property sits decides whether the new assessment is fair.
Or email the bill to [email protected]. The free initial view normally comes back within five working days.
- MRICS CharteredOliver Hamblin runs every case personally.
- RICS-regulatedFirm regulation #897221.
- 12 years at Altus (now Ryan)Four of them as a business rates Director.
- Check, Challenge, AppealHandled end to end, on the 2026 list.
- £500k PI coverUnderwritten by Hiscox.
What we see on Epsom assessments
Epsom town centre is a two-tier retail market. The Ashley Centre and the High Street and Market Place around it are the prime pitch; Upper High Street, East Street and South Street are secondary, and the point where prime tone stops is argued unit by unit. Several of the older High Street buildings are listed or awkwardly shaped, with split levels and upper floors that cannot be used for sales, which the zoning rarely reflects. Industrial space is concentrated on Longmead Industrial Estate off Blenheim Road and on Nonsuch Industrial Estate off Kiln Lane, both mixed in age, with 1960s and 1970s units sitting alongside newer trade counters; the 2026 industrial tone was set from the best evidence and the older units are the ones to check. Office stock is modest: converted buildings around the town centre, the Epsom Downs business parks and the Horton area, with a steady trickle of conversions to residential that should take floors out of the list. Epsom Downs racecourse and the leisure around it are valued on trade, and the Kiln Lane retail warehouses on their own scheme. Epsom and Ewell Borough Council bills every property in the borough.
Your bill comes from Epsom and Ewell Borough Council. The council collects the money and runs the reliefs; the rateable value itself comes from the Valuation Office, and only the Valuation Office can change it.
Town centre and the Ashley Centre
Where the prime pitch ends on the High Street and Upper High Street is the recurring argument. Listed and split-level buildings are routinely zoned as if they were regular units.
How we value retail and leisure →Longmead and Nonsuch industrial
Older units assessed on the tone of the newer trade counters next door. Eaves, yard, loading and access are the proper adjustments.
How we value industrial property →Offices and conversions
A small office market with a lot of residential conversion. A building part-converted to flats should have its assessment changed, and often has not.
How we value offices →The 2026 revaluation in Epsom and Ewell
Total rateable value up 16.2% against 19.6% for England: retail +12.0%, industrial +22.2%, offices +13.6%. A rise well above the sector figure is the one to have checked.
Checking your Epsom assessment
Every Epsom assessment was revalued from 1 April 2026, based on rental values at 1 April 2024. The 2026 list is now the only one open to a Check or Challenge.
- 01Check
- 02Challenge
- 03Appeal
What a rating review covers
- Review of the current Epsom assessment and Valuation Office record
- Site inspection and measurement to the RICS Code of Measuring Practice
- Comparison against settled assessments on the same street or estate
- Rental evidence analysed back to the 1 April 2024 valuation date
- Advice on which multiplier applies and on transitional arrangements
- Written view on the merits before anything is submitted
- Check, Challenge and Appeal handled end to end
- Reliefs, exemptions and empty rates reviewed alongside
If the assessment looks right, we will say so. An honest no costs you nothing and saves you a year of correspondence.
Chartered Surveyor. Twelve years in business rates at Altus Group (now Ryan), four of them as a Director, and more than fifteen years of rating work across the South of England and London. RICS-regulated firm no. 897221.
"Very grateful to Oliver for his advice with a stressful business rates dispute involving my father. His guidance helped us achieve an excellent outcome. Highly recommended."
Business rates around Epsom
How different property is valued
Recommended by people who work in commercial property
Commercial agents and fit-out specialists see a great many rating assessments, and they are careful about who they put their clients in front of.
Award-winning commercial property agents and chartered surveyors, with offices in Guildford, Horsham and Dorking
Owen Isherwood act for landlords and occupiers on commercial property across Surrey, Hampshire and Sussex - offices, retail, industrial, warehousing, investment and development land. They refer their clients to us for business rates advice, and we work alongside them on rating assessments for property they let, manage and sell.
Visit Owen Isherwood
B Corp certified workplace design, consultancy and fit-out specialists, working across London and the UK
Area design and deliver office fit-outs - Cat A for landlords and developers, Cat B for occupiers - along with workplace consultancy, asset refurbishment and specialist laboratory space. Fitting out a shell does not usually change what is payable - a tenant would be expected to fit out the space, so it stays rateable - but major refurbishment and alteration can, both while the works are under way and once they are finished. We work alongside Area's clients on the rating side of their projects.
Visit Area
Chartered surveyors and commercial property agents based in Guildford
Gascoignes advise landlords and occupiers on commercial property across Surrey - lettings, sales, acquisitions and property management. They refer their clients to us for business rates advice, and we work alongside them on rating assessments for property they let and manage.
Visit GascoignesCommon questions
- Does Epsom and Ewell Borough Council set my rateable value?
- No. The council sends the bill and administers reliefs; the rateable value is set by the Valuation Office. A dispute about the valuation has to go through Check and Challenge, not through the council.
- How did the 2026 revaluation affect Epsom?
- The borough's total rateable value rose 16.2% between the 2023 and 2026 lists, below the 19.6% England figure. Industrial rose most at 22.2%, offices 13.6% and retail 12.0%. Those are averages across the borough; an individual assessment can be wrong in either direction, and a rise well above the sector average is worth a review. The 2026 revaluation across Surrey →
- My shop is in the Ashley Centre. Is a challenge worth it?
- Shopping centre units are valued on a scheme for the centre with adjustments for position, size and shape. The questions are whether the zoning matches the unit, whether the position adjustment is right, and whether the centre's tone has moved since the valuation date. We give a written view before anything is submitted.
- We have a unit on Longmead. What usually goes wrong?
- The estate is mixed in age and specification, and the 2026 scheme was set from the strongest evidence. Low eaves, poor loading, a small yard or shared access are recognised adjustments, but they have to be measured and evidenced before the Valuation Office will apply them. How we value industrial property →
- Which multiplier applies to my Epsom property?
- It depends on rateable value and use. Qualifying retail, hospitality and leisure property uses one of two lower multipliers; most other property pays the standard multiplier; property at £500,000 and above pays the higher one. We confirm which applies as part of the review. The 2026/27 multipliers explained →
Guides for ratepayers
- The 2026 rating list: what your new rateable value means
- Your rateable value: what to look for
- The five business rates multipliers, explained
- Empty property rates: what you pay, and when
- Check, Challenge, Appeal: how business rates appeals actually work
- No win, no fee business rates: what you actually get
- Material change of circumstances: when roadworks or a development next door can cut your rates
- How to choose a business rates adviser in Surrey: the questions to ask
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Business Rates Advice, Surrey
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Business Rates Mitigation
Empty rates, reliefs, and removal from the rating list during refurbishment.
Send us your rates bill and we will tell you if there is a case.
The rates bill or just the property address is enough. The initial review is free, usually comes back within five working days, and gives you a written view on whether there is a case before anything is agreed.