Business Rates: Flooded Properties

If your business has been impacted by the recent adverse weather conditions you may qualify for some help with your Business Rates.

Empty Properties

You do not have to pay business rates on empty commercial properties for 3 months from the date the property first became empty. After this time, most businesses will pay full business rates.

Some properties can get extended empty property relief:

• industrial premises (for example warehouses) are exempt for a further 3 months
• listed buildings - until they're reoccupied
• buildings with a rateable value under £2,600 - until they're reoccupied

If your property has become empty please complete our online form.

Partly occupied properties

Any business can make application for Part Occupation Relief part of a property is unoccupied for a 'short period of time'. When exercising discretion, the Council must apply the general rule that a person who occupies part of a property is deemed to occupy the whole of the property. It is not intended that because part of a property is not in use that it should be taken out of rating.

However, where there are practical difficulties:

• in occupying or leaving a property in one operation,
• or where a building or manufacturing site becomes temporarily redundant, it might be reasonable to award rate relief.

Part Occupation Relief is now time limited to 3 months for most businesses and 6 months for industrial. Please note that this relief cannot be applied in conjunction with Small Business Rate Relief.

If your property has become part occupied please complete our online form.

Hardship Relief  

Any business can make application for Hardship Relief and the council must consider whether it is in the public interest to award it. The test of financial hardship must be made in addition to looking at the wider interests of tax-payers

Further information and application form can be found here: Hardship Relief