Empty Property Rates Relief
No business rates are payable for the first 3 months that a property is empty, extended to 6 months in the case of qualifying industrial hereditaments – (e.g. warehousing, manufacturing, storage etc). After this period rates are payable in full unless exemptions apply. No empty rates are payable for vacant properties assessed at below Rateable Value (RV) of £2,900.
To qualify the empty property must have been occupied for a period of more than 26 weeks immediately beforehand. Any period of occupation which is less than 26 weeks is disregarded.
Charities and CASCs
Charities and community amateur sports clubs can apply for relief of up to 80% if a property is used for charitable purposes. Local councils can provide additional ‘discretionary relief’ (up to 100%).
Hardship Relief
Local authorities are able to provide hardship relief if they believe that it is in the interests of the local community to do so.
Improvement Relief
Certain improvements to a building completed after 1 April 2024 may be entitled to improvement relief. There are qualifying conditions relating to the scope of the improvements and they are only available to a ratepayer who has been in continuous occupation of their property during the duration of the works. New properties or those removed from the rating list during the work will not qualify and this relief is not available to landlords or developers.
100% relief is applied to the increase in the liability resulting from the improvements for a period of one year.
Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Relief
Retail, leisure and hospitality relief replaced the retail discount on 1 April 2022.
You could qualify for retail, leisure and hospitality relief if your business is mainly being used as a:
- shop
- restaurant, café, bar or pub
- cinema or music venue
- hospitality or leisure business: for example, a gym, a spa or a hotel.
For the period from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 relief is to be calculated at 75% – up to a total value of £110,000 per business.
For the period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2026 relief will remain calculated at 40% – up to a total value of £110,000 per business.
