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Business Rates

Business rates are a mandatory UK property tax on the occupation of non-domestic property. As a significant business expense, it’s important to ensure you only pay what is fair and accurate.

Proactive management of your business rates liabilities helps optimise your budgeting and forecasting strategies, giving you a competitive edge. From challenging the Rateable Value on a property to correcting property details or finding overlooked reliefs, our business rates advisors help protect your interests.

We process over £1 billion in liability annually. Our ability to navigate complex legislative procedures and strict timelines makes us a trusted business partner in this critical area. Drawing on expertise across different sectors and various property types, we apply our industry knowledge of rental values and specific property cases as well as market movements and industry trends.

Our record of identifying opportunities for relief and reductions and managing appeal processes includes delivering over £1.3 billion in savings for our clients since 2017.

Our Solutions

Budget Estimates and Accruals

Accurately budgeting and accruing for business rates can get challenging with shifting economic landscapes, legislative updates, and evolving property portfolios.

Learn more about Budget Estimates and Accruals

Reliefs and Exemptions

Our experienced team is dedicated to guiding you through this complex landscape, ensuring your business takes full advantage of all available relief and exemption opportunities.

Learn more about Reliefs and Exemptions

Rates Payment Management Services

When you have multiple properties or complex rate payment requirements, a robust Rate Payment Management Service (RPMS) streamlines payment processes, improves accuracy and efficiency, and provides a better user experience.

Learn more about Rates Payment Management Services

Material Change of Circumstance (MCC)

Significant changes to your property or the surroundings can constitute a Material Change of Circumstance (MCC), potentially affecting your property’s Rateable Value and reducing business rate liability.

Learn more about Material Change of Circumstance (MCC)

Business Rates Reviews and Appeals

The 2023 Rating assessments, shaped by significant events including Brexit, the pandemic, and the economic crises, arrived with potential inaccuracies in Rateable Values (RVs). Amid these uncertainties, many businesses may be eligible to reduce their rates liabilities. Is yours one of them?

Learn more about Business Rates Reviews and Appeals

Business Rates Advocacy

We’re committed to empowering businesses and ratepayers by advocating for equitable and effective policies that foster growth during challenging times. As prominent industry leaders, we actively lobby the government to improve and fine-tune the support measures for ratepayers across various sectors.

Learn more about Business Rates Advocacy

Historic Rates Audit

Conducting a historic rates audit can help you identify any discrepancies in your bills, potentially leading to refunds or adjustments in future payments.

Learn more about Historic Rates Audit

Empty Rates Mitigation

Even vacant properties attract liabilities. Empty rates mitigation covers proactive strategies for reducing business rates liability on empty commercial premises.

Learn more about Empty Rates Mitigation

Is your 2024/25 business rates bill accurate?

With the Uniform Business Rates (UBRs) set for changes in England, Scotland and Wales for the fiscal year 2024/25, it’s crucial to reassess your rates for accuracy. In England, there is a freeze on the small multiplier at 49.9p for properties with a Rateable Value (RV) below £51,000, contrasted with a 6.7% increase in the large multiplier. In Scotland, the freeze on rates for small properties offers some stability, but those with higher rateable values face increases of 6.7%. Wales sees a uniform 5% increase, positioning it as the UK’s highest multiplier. Adjustments in relief schemes further underscore the need to account for these updates. Double-check your 2024/25 rates bill now.

Business Rates Data Card

Alongside people and rent, business rates are likely one of a company’s most considerable fixed expenses. With the current business environment, accurate budgeting for business rates liabilities and appropriate accruals are more crucial than ever.

Saving Money

To achieve an accurate basis of valuation, you need to understand the valuation approach, think proactively about opportunities to challenge your Rateable Value and gain an understanding of the underlying evidence and appeal process. Several reliefs, grants and schemes specific to sectors and property types may also offer a source of savings.

Minimising Risk

While any business would want a lower Rateable Value (RV), an under-assessment could be corrected by the Valuation Officer or Assessor, and potentially backdated, resulting in a rate demand you haven’t anticipated. Ensuring this risk is identified will allow you to budget more accurately.

Ensuring Compliance

Fundamental changes proposed in England and Wales will materially impact the way businesses need to supply information. These are anticipated to be introduced at some point during the cycle of the ​​​​​​2023 Revaluation. It will be critical to ensure strict compliance to avoid fines.

When to Check your Business Rates Liabilities

From reconfiguration to refurbishment, relocation to expansion, your property undergoes changes throughout its lifecycle that can significantly impact your business rate liabilities. It’s crucial to keep a close eye on your rates and ensure you’re not overpaying. Stay ahead of the game by checking your business rates whenever your property undergoes a change.

Before Occupation

From the point at which you become liable for the business rates on a property you can explore potential empty property exemptions and opportunities around phased occupation. If the property is new or has been subject to redevelopment and/or fitout works, it may also be necessary to consider the implication of completion notices and effective date regulations.

During Occupation

Any time you make a change to your property or an external change impacts the property, your business rates liability could change. Empty or part-occupied periods may present an opportunity to mitigate the rates liability. Exemptions may also be available during refurbishment or reconfiguration schemes midway through the occupation.

End of Life

When you decide to leave a property, either at lease end or at disposal, you can seek mitigation to reflect any phased vacation of space or consider whether a challenge to delete may be appropriate.

Sectors We Specialise in

Our business rate experts have focused sector knowledge across all property types and market trends to manage and mitigate your business rates more effectively. With experience working across the various sectors throughout the UK, you can rely on us to manage your business rates proactively and achieve the best possible results. Learn more about our work in some of our key sectors.

Related Sectors

Our Business Rates Services

Whether you have a single property or a complex portfolio across different locations, our team of experts can help you with the subtleties of business rates and provide the guidance and support needed to make informed decisions. With our help, you can be confident that you are paying the correct amount and that your business rates are fully optimised to support your goals.

Related Services

UBRs, Discounts and Exemptions

Reviewed annually, Uniform Business Rate (UBR) multipliers are used to calculate your business rates liability. UBRs can be increased by inflation, which has happened for some property values for 2024/25. The UK governments also regularly review discounts and exemptions. The reliefs, grants and transitional schemes available can depend on the type, size and location of your property. Use our Business Rates Data Card  to see detailed UBRs, reliefs and schemes for each country.

Business Rates Valuation and Appeal Deadlines

Since 1 April 2023, businesses across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland can review and appeal their rate liabilities. As the different regions follow different timelines and requirements for business rates reviews and appeals, don’t miss out on the opportunity to review and correct your rates bills.

£9.3bn
total Rateable Value handled
£1.3bn
client savings since 2017, £3.8 bn since 2010
£1bn
rate liability processed each year as UK’s leading outsourced ratepayer