From 1st April 2016, if you have an unoccupied business property, you can apply for a reduction under the following conditions;
- Unoccupied property not in use (first 3 months) = 50% relief
- Unoccupied property not in use (after 3 months) = 10% relief
- Vacant property last used in an industrial nature (first 6 months) = 100% relief
- Vacant property last used in an industrial nature (after 6 months) = 10% relief
Categories of exemption from vacant rates relief;
- The property has a rateable value of less than £1,700
- The property is subject to a preservation notice (i.e. Listed Building)
- Lands and heritages which are kept vacant by reasons or actions taken by the Crown or Local Authority
Please note that under certain circumstances, you may be entitled to more than one type of relief. These include the following;
- Fresh Start relief
- Growth Accelerator relief
- Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS)
- Charitable relief
- Discretionary relief
- Rural relief
- Disabled relief
- Renewable Energy relief
- Transitional relief
- Day Nursery relief
- Enterprise Areas relief
To discuss any of these relief opportunities in further detail, or for assistance in applying, please contact our Rating team direct via Rating2017@g-s.co.uk.
