# How to appeal a food hygiene rating: the 21-day deadline, the letter, and when a re-rating inspection is the better route > You have 21 days from being told your food hygiene rating to appeal in writing. When to appeal, when to ask for a re-rating, and a letter to adapt. - Page to cite: https://aeolookup.com/hospitality/appeal-food-hygiene-rating-21-days-letter/ - Publisher: AEO Lookup (https://aeolookup.com/) - Section: Restaurants, pubs and small hotels, Allergens, licensing and rates - Published 1 October 2026 - Key fact: An appeal against a food hygiene rating must be made in writing within 21 days of being notified, weekends and public holidays included, and the result comes within 21 days from an officer who did not give the rating; ratings of 0 to 4 are published 3 to 5 weeks after the inspection, and a re-rating inspection can only be requested once the rating has been accepted and the faults fixed. - Sources: Food Standards Agency, Food Hygiene Rating Scheme guidance for businesses, published on GOV.UK and updated 30 June 2026, read 1 October 2026. You have 21 days from the day you are told your food hygiene rating to appeal it in writing, and that count includes weekends and public holidays. An appeal is the right route only when the rating was wrong on the day. If the faults were real and are now fixed, a re-rating inspection is the route, and the two cannot run together. The rules below come from the Food Standards Agency's guidance for businesses, updated on 30 June 2026. It covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland. **Free tool on the page:** Food hygiene rating appeal letter maker. It runs in the browser at https://aeolookup.com/hospitality/appeal-food-hygiene-rating-21-days-letter/#tool and asks for no sign-up. ## Three routes, and what each one changes | Route | Use it when | Deadline | What the public sees | |---|---|---|---| | Appeal | The rating is unfair or wrong for what the officer found on the day | In writing within 21 days of being notified | "Awaiting publication" until the appeal is decided | | Right to reply | The rating stands and you want to say what has changed, or what was unusual on the day | None, any time until the next inspection | Your comment, published beside the rating | | Re-rating inspection | You accept the rating and have made every improvement asked for | None | The new rating, which can be higher, lower or the same | The guidance states no fee for an appeal or a right to reply. A re-rating is charged for by every council in Wales and Northern Ireland and by some in England. Each council sets its own fee and gives it in the rating letter, so no figure is quoted here. ## Appeal or re-rating An appeal asks a second officer to look at the same inspection. It is for a rating that was wrong on the day: a record that existed and was not looked at, or a fault recorded against the wrong part of the premises. A re-rating asks for a new inspection. The guidance says you can request one only if you have accepted the rating and made all the improvements the officer recommended. In Wales and Northern Ireland an appeal must be resolved before the council will agree to a re-rating. The officer looks at the whole premises again, so the rating can go down. ## The dates, worked from one inspection Take an inspection on Thursday 1 October 2026 that ends in a rating of 2. | Event | Rule | Date | |---|---|---| | Rating given in writing | At the inspection or within 14 days of it | By Thursday 15 October 2026 | | Say the letter arrives | | Monday 5 October 2026 | | Last day to appeal | 21 days from being notified | Monday 26 October 2026 | | Rating published if there is no appeal | 3 to 5 weeks after the inspection | Thursday 22 October to Thursday 5 November 2026 | | Appeal received by the council | | Say Monday 12 October 2026 | | Result of the appeal | Within 21 days of the council receiving it | By Monday 2 November 2026 | A rating of 5 is published as soon as the council uploads it; ratings of 0 to 4 wait 3 to 5 weeks to leave room for an appeal. Send the appeal in the first fortnight, so that nobody has to argue about which day the count began. ## How to appeal 1. Read the inspection letter against the three things the officer checks: how hygienically food is handled, the physical condition of the premises, and how food safety is managed. Decide which you dispute. 2. Speak to the food safety officer named in the letter. The guidance asks you to do this before appealing. 3. Collect evidence dated on or before the inspection day: temperature logs, cleaning schedules, pest control reports, training records, photographs. 4. Write to the local authority within the 21 days. In England and Northern Ireland you may use the appeal form, a letter or an email. In Wales you must use the standard form. 5. Keep proof of the date you sent it. ## A letter to adapt > Appeal against food hygiene rating: [business name], [address] > > I was notified on [date] of a rating of [number] following the inspection on [date]. I am appealing within the 21 days allowed. > > I spoke to [officer's name] on [date] about how the rating was reached. > > I dispute the finding on [handling of food / condition of the premises / management of food safety] for these reasons: > > 1. [What the report says, what was in place on the day, and the document that shows it.] > 2. [The same for each further point.] > > I enclose [list of documents, each dated]. > > [Name, role, phone, email] Keep it to facts that were true on the inspection day. Work done since belongs in a right to reply or a re-rating request. ## Who decides, and what follows The appeal is decided by the council's lead officer for food or a deputy, or by the lead officer of another council in the scheme. The officer who gave the rating does not consider it. Once you are told the result, the rating is published. If you think the council did not follow the process, use its complaints procedure, and then the Local Government Ombudsman in England and Wales or the Public Services Ombudsman in Northern Ireland. The decision itself can be challenged by judicial review, and the rating is still published while that runs. ## If the rating was right: timing a re-rating In England, where the council does not charge, you get one re-rating between planned inspections. It will not usually happen in the first three months after the inspection, though the council may come sooner if the only work asked for was structural repairs or new equipment. A request made in those first three months should lead to a visit within six months of the inspection. A later request, or one to a council that charges, should lead to a visit within three months. In Wales and Northern Ireland the visit is made within three months of a written request. You are not told the date in advance. The request must say what you did about each point, with evidence such as receipts or photographs. ## Displaying the rating Venues in Wales and Northern Ireland must by law display the rating at or near each customer entrance. In England display is voluntary. Written systems are what the third check looks at, and our guide to [Natasha's Law and the allergen matrix](https://aeolookup.com/hospitality/natashas-law-allergen-labelling-restaurants-pubs/) describes one such record. A right to reply is read by customers, so write it the way our [review reply writer](https://aeolookup.com/hospitality/review-reply-writer-restaurant-google-tripadvisor/) writes a public answer: what happened, what changed, no argument. This is general information, not legal advice. ## Short answers from this page **How long do I have to appeal a food hygiene rating, and how long does the council take to decide?** You have 21 days from the day you are told the rating, weekends and public holidays included, and the appeal must be in writing. Told on Monday 5 October 2026, the last day is Monday 26 October. The council replies within 21 days of receiving it, through an officer who did not give the rating, and the rating is not published until then. --- ![](https://aeolookup.com/img/d/owner-line.png) General information for UK small firms, not legal, tax or financial advice.