You do not have to pay anyone
Owners can ask the Valuation Office to correct mistakes and challenge a band themselves. We expect that to be free, as it is for council tax. If you have the time and the evidence, you can do it without us. What we add is the evidence, the judgement on whether a challenge is likely to succeed, and the work of making it.
Our fees
| Service | Price | When you pay |
|---|---|---|
| First consultation | Free | Never |
| Band check | £395 | When we deliver it. Credited against the success fee if you go ahead. |
| Success fee | 40% of the first two years' saving | Only if your band comes down, once the Valuation Office confirms the change. |
| Independent valuation | At cost | Only where one is needed, and only with your agreement first. |
| Live-in caretaker introductions | Free to owners | Never. The caretaker service may pay us a fee. |
VAT is added where it applies. Our letter of engagement sets out the full terms before any work starts.
The band check
We look at the home as it stood in April 2026 against sales of similar homes nearby, using Land Registry sales and the floor areas in energy performance certificates, the same kind of evidence the Valuation Office uses. You get a written view of the likely 2026 value, how close the home sits to a band line, and whether a correction or challenge is worth making. For many homes the answer is no, and we will say so.
The success fee
- The saving is the difference between the band the Valuation Office gives the home and the band it ends up in, for the first two years the lower band applies.
- We work it out from the first-year charges, so it is fixed when the change is confirmed rather than waiting on inflation.
- If the home comes out of the surcharge altogether, the saving is the whole charge.
- If the home pays the 100% empty homes premium, the saving includes the premium.
- Nothing after that. From the third year onwards you keep the whole saving.
- It covers correcting the draft list and challenging the band with the Valuation Office. If an appeal to the Valuation Tribunal for England is needed, we agree any further fee with you before any work starts.
A band normally holds for five years, until the 2033 revaluation. A fee of 40% of two years' saving comes to less than a fifth of the five-year saving, and you keep the rest.
What you could save, and what we charge
| Home moved | Saving a year | Our success fee | You keep over five years | Empty home: success fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Out of the surcharge (below £2m) | £2,500 | £2,000 | £10,500 | £4,000 |
| Below £2.5m | £1,000 | £800 | £4,200 | £1,600 |
| Below £3.5m | £1,500 | £1,200 | £6,300 | £2,400 |
| Below £5m | £2,500 | £2,000 | £10,500 | £4,000 |
First-year charges before CPI uprating. A home moved down two bands saves more, and the fee follows the saving. An empty home paying the 100% premium saves double, and the fee doubles with it. You keep is five years of saving less the success fee.
An example: a £3m house
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Band it is placed in | £3.5m to £5m, £5,000 a year |
| Band it should be in | £2.5m to £3.5m, £3,500 a year |
| Saving | £1,500 a year, £7,500 over five years |
| Band check | £395, credited against the success fee |
| Success fee | 40% of two years' saving, £1,200 |
| Total you pay us | £1,200 |
| You keep | £6,300 over five years |
An illustration, not a forecast, using first-year charges before CPI uprating. It assumes the lower band holds for the five years of bills before the 2033 revaluation. If the Valuation Office has the band right, we tell you after the band check and the most you pay is £395.
Independent valuations
Most cases rest on comparable sales. Some need more: a home close to £5m, an unusual or listed house with few true comparables, or a case heading for the tribunal. There we instruct an independent RICS Registered Valuer to value the home as at April 2026, and pass the valuer's fee on at cost. We tell you the fee and get your agreement before instructing anyone.
Fee questions
How much does a mansion tax review cost?
The first consultation is free. A band check costs £395 and is credited against our fee if you go ahead. If we get your band reduced, our success fee is 40% of the first two years' saving, and nothing after that. If the band does not change, there is no success fee.
Do I have to pay someone to challenge my mansion tax band?
No. Owners can ask the Valuation Office to correct mistakes and challenge a band themselves, and we expect that to be free, as it is for council tax. What we add is the evidence, and an honest view on whether a challenge is likely to succeed.
What could a £3m house save?
It depends on the band the Valuation Office places it in. A house worth £3m in 2026 that is wrongly placed in the £3.5m to £5m band would save £1,500 a year by moving down a band, about £7,500 over the five years of bills before the 2033 revaluation. Our success fee would be £1,200, and the owner would keep £6,300. A £3m house already in the right band saves nothing, and we would tell you so after the band check.
Why is the success fee based on two years?
A band normally holds for five years, until the 2033 revaluation. A fee of 40% of two years' saving comes to less than a fifth of the five-year saving. From the third year you keep the whole saving.