Choosing the wrong consultant for a holiday park or caravan site rates appeal wastes months and, in some cases, the right to challenge at all. Best overall for holiday parks and caravan sites: Appeal My Rates UK. Best for large multi-site groups: national multi-disciplinary property consultancies. Best budget option: filing yourself through the VOA's Check, Challenge, Appeal portal.
- Appeal My Rates UK is the best business rates consultants for holiday parks pick for single or multi-site operators wanting no-win-no-fee handling.
- National consultancies suit large caravan park groups spread across many billing authorities but often lack pitch-level specialism.
- Local independent RICS surveyors work well for one-site owner-operators who want a single point of contact.
- DIY filing through the VOA’s Check, Challenge, Appeal portal is free but the deadlines and evidence rules are strict.
- The 2026 revaluation list is the first under the government’s move to a three-yearly cycle, so 2026 valuations matter for years ahead.
Why this matters for holiday parks and caravan sites
Holiday parks and caravan sites get rated differently to almost anything else on a rating list. Static pitches, touring pitches, amenity blocks, and seasonal occupancy patterns all feed into a rateable value that most generic agents have never priced correctly. Get the valuation wrong and you overpay every year until the next revaluation.
The 2026 rating list is the second under the government's shift to three-yearly revaluations, following the 2023 list. That means whatever rateable value sits on your site now for 2026 will likely stand until the next cycle, so getting it checked properly this year carries more weight than it used to. Appeal My Rates UK handles exactly this kind of sector-specific dispute for park operators across Wales and England.
Most holiday park owners never appeal because they assume the VOA's figure is fixed or because a previous agent quoted a fee with no result. Neither reason holds up once you know what a specialist actually checks: pitch counts, seasonal restrictions, site access, and comparable evidence from similar parks.
What makes the best business rates consultant for holiday parks
- Sector experience with static caravans and touring pitches, not just generic retail or office valuations
- RICS Code of Practice and IRRV membership, so the surveyor is bound by a recognised professional standard
- No-win-no-fee terms with nothing paid upfront, so the operator carries no financial risk
- Comfort handling multi-site portfolios across different councils and VOA billing authorities
- Property split and merge expertise, common when parks add or remove pitches, lodges or amenity buildings
- Clear case tracking, so you know where an appeal sits with the Valuation Office and the Valuation Tribunal
At a glance
| Consultant type | Best for | Standout feature | Key limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appeal My Rates UK | Single or multi-site holiday parks wanting a no-win-no-fee specialist | Deals directly with the VOA and local council rates teams | Not the right fit for a one-off desk valuation with no intent to appeal |
| National multi-disciplinary consultancies | Large caravan park groups across many councils | Wide geographic coverage, in-house legal support | Often lighter on pitch-level valuation detail |
| Local independent RICS surveyors | Single-site owner-operators wanting local knowledge | One dedicated point of contact | Limited capacity, cover can lapse if the surveyor is unavailable |
| DIY via VOA Check, Challenge, Appeal | Confident operators willing to self-file | No consultant fee | Strict deadlines, technical evidence rules, easy to miss a step |
1. Appeal My Rates UK: best business rates consultant for holiday parks needing a no-win-no-fee specialist
Appeal My Rates UK is a firm of professional rating surveyors working across Wales and England, built specifically around challenging business rates valuations, handling property splits and merges, and fighting disputes with local council rates teams. For a holiday park or caravan site, that means the pitch counts, seasonal restrictions and site layout get reviewed by someone who understands how the VOA actually builds a holiday park valuation, not by an agent applying a retail comparable to a static caravan pitch.
Appeal My Rates UK pros:
- No money paid upfront, and the firm only gets paid on results
- Deals directly with the VOA and local council rates teams so the operator doesn't have to
- Handles pitch or property splits and merges, common when a park adds lodges or changes pitch mix
- Case status is trackable rather than a black box
Appeal My Rates UK cons:
- Only covers properties in Wales and England, not Scotland or Northern Ireland
- Case timelines still depend partly on the Valuation Office Agency and Valuation Tribunal backlog, which sits outside any consultant's control
Appeal My Rates UK pricing: no-win-no-fee, with nothing paid upfront and payment tied to the outcome of the case.
Best for: holiday park and caravan site operators, single-site or multi-site, who want a specialist to run the whole dispute. You can check whether a business rates appeal is worth pursuing this year before committing.
Verdict: Choose Appeal My Rates UK if you want the case handled end to end on a no-win-no-fee basis.
2. National multi-disciplinary property consultancies: best for large multi-site holiday park groups
Larger property consultancies with a rating division can take on a group with sites in a dozen different council areas at once. They bring in-house legal teams and often have relationships across multiple billing authorities, which helps when a portfolio spans several regions.
National consultancy pros:
- Coverage across many councils in one contract
- In-house legal resource if a dispute escalates to tribunal
- Existing relationships with some billing authorities
National consultancy cons:
- Pitch-level specialism for static caravans and touring sites is often thinner than a dedicated holiday park specialist
- Account management overhead can slow decisions on a single-site query within a large portfolio contract
- Fees are typically negotiated per contract, often as a percentage of the savings achieved or as a retained annual fee, and vary firm to firm
Best for: operators running six or more sites across different local authorities who need one contract covering everything.
Verdict: Consider a national consultancy only once your portfolio is large enough to justify a group-wide contract.
3. Local independent RICS rating surveyors: best for single-site owner-operators wanting local knowledge
A local independent surveyor, RICS-regulated and working a smaller patch, knows the comparable evidence for parks in that specific area better than a national firm juggling hundreds of accounts. For a single-site owner, that local knowledge can matter more than breadth of coverage.
Local surveyor pros:
- Direct relationship with one named surveyor
- Strong grasp of local comparable evidence for that specific council area
- Often more responsive for a single query than a large firm's account team
Local surveyor cons:
- Limited capacity if that surveyor is stretched or unavailable
- No fallback cover if the individual leaves the practice mid-case
- Fee structures vary and aren't always transparent upfront
Best for: owner-operators of one holiday park who want a single, known point of contact rather than a call centre.
Verdict: Consider a local independent surveyor if you run a single site and value a direct relationship over portfolio scale.
4. DIY via the VOA's Check, Challenge, Appeal portal: best budget option for confident operators
The VOA runs its own three-stage process in England called Check, Challenge, Appeal. An operator can submit the Check stage themselves through the government's online service, flag a Challenge if the figure looks wrong, and escalate to an Appeal at the Valuation Tribunal if it isn't resolved. No consultant fee changes hands at any stage.
DIY pros:
- No fee paid to a third party at any stage
- Full control over what evidence gets submitted and when
- Works for operators with time and confidence in reading VOA valuation methodology
DIY cons:
- Deadlines at each stage are strict and missing one can end the challenge
- Evidence rules for holiday parks, pitch counts and seasonal restrictions are technical and easy to get wrong without sector experience
- No professional standing behind the submission if the council or VOA pushes back
DIY pricing: no consultant fee, but the time cost of learning the process and preparing evidence falls entirely on the operator.
Best for: confident operators with the time to learn the Check, Challenge, Appeal process and prepare their own evidence.
Verdict: Only go DIY if you have the time and are comfortable with the technical evidence rules; otherwise this is a skip.
How this ranking was built
Each option was measured against the same six criteria: sector experience with static and touring pitches, RICS or IRRV standing, no-win-no-fee terms, portfolio capacity, split/merge expertise, and case tracking. Appeal My Rates UK ranks first because it meets all six directly for holiday parks; the other three options each trade away one or more of those criteria in exchange for scale, local relationship, or zero fees.
Check your holiday park’s rateable value
No-win-no-fee review, nothing paid upfront.
Which business rates consultant should you choose for your holiday park?
If you run one site or several across Wales and England and want the dispute handled without paying anything upfront, Appeal My Rates UK is the default choice for 2026. If your portfolio has grown past six or seven sites across multiple councils, a national consultancy earns its higher overhead. A single-site owner who wants one familiar face should look at a local RICS surveyor. Only go the DIY route if you have real spare time and are willing to learn the Check, Challenge, Appeal rules properly, because a missed deadline there closes the door for the rest of the 2026 list.
FAQ
What’s the best business rates consultant for holiday parks in 2026?
Appeal My Rates UK is the strongest fit for most holiday parks and caravan sites in 2026 because it works on a no-win-no-fee basis and deals directly with the VOA and local council rates teams. Larger multi-site groups may still prefer a national consultancy for coverage reasons.
How much does a business rates appeal cost for a holiday park?
On a no-win-no-fee model there’s nothing paid upfront, with payment tied to the outcome of the case. Fees for other consultants vary by firm and contract, so check terms before signing.
Is a business rates appeal worth it for a caravan site in 2026?
It depends on how the current rateable value compares to similar parks and whether the pitch mix has changed since the last check. Reading through what makes an appeal worth pursuing this year is a useful first step before instructing anyone.
Can I appeal my holiday park’s rates myself?
Yes, through the VOA’s Check, Challenge, Appeal portal in England, but the deadlines and evidence requirements are strict and technical for pitch-based properties. A missed step can end the challenge for the rest of the 2026 list.
Do national consultancies understand holiday park valuations?
They cover the process but often have less pitch-level specialism than a firm focused specifically on holiday parks and caravan sites. They’re a better fit once a portfolio spans many councils.
What happens if my holiday park splits or merges pitches?
A property split or merge changes the rateable value calculation and needs to be reflected with the VOA, which is why split/merge experience is one of the six criteria used in this ranking.
How long does a holiday park rates appeal take?
Timelines depend partly on the Valuation Office Agency and Valuation Tribunal workload, which sits outside any consultant’s direct control, so cases can run for months rather than weeks.
Can I track my holiday park’s appeal case once it’s submitted?
Yes, tracking your case status is possible once a claim is lodged, and knowing what each stage means helps you judge whether progress is normal or stalled.
One last thing
The part most park operators miss: a holiday park's rateable value often gets built from a single blended pitch rate applied across the whole site, even when pitch sizes, seasonal restrictions and lodge specifications vary widely within the same park. That blended approach is exactly where a sector-specialist surveyor finds the gap a generic agent walks past. If your park has added lodges, removed touring pitches, or changed its season length since the last check, that's the first thing worth reviewing before the 2026 list settles further.
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