• Business Rate Multipliers

• Rateable Values

• Empty Property Rates

• Non-Domestic Rating Survey Form

• 2017 Revaluation

Business Rate Multipliers

* Small Property Relief was introduced with effect from 1st April 1997 in the form of a small property multiplier. This measure applied to properties outside Greater London whose Rateable Value shown in the 1995 Rating List was less than £10,000 (less than £15,000 in Greater London). This relief was not extended beyond the 1999/2000 rate year.

** There are two multipliers in respect of the 2005/2006 and subsequent rate years: -

Small Business Multiplier
This will apply to those businesses that are eligible for relief under the Small Business Rate Relief Scheme.

Standard Multiplier
This includes the supplement to fund the Small Business Relief Scheme. This multiplier will apply to any business not benefiting from the Small Business Relief Scheme. View Small Business Rate Relief Scheme information.

Find out the Rateable Value for a property.

Rateable Values

Backdated Appeals

When the Government postponed the 2015 business rates revaluation to 2017, it extended the period over which bills would be based on rateable values in the 2010 rating list. This also extended the period over which alterations to rateable values could be backdated. As a result, under the current arrangements, by March 2018, a business could potentially have received a business rates bill backdated for up to 8 years and ratepayers could have had 7 years in which to challenge the rateable value. This is an excessively long period of uncertainty for both businesses and local government.

Therefore, the Government decided to address this. The rules have now been changed so that alterations to rateable values can only be backdated to the period between 1 April 2010 and 1 April 2015 for Valuation Office Agency alterations made before 1 April 2016 and rate payers' appeals made before 1 April 2015. Regulations implementing this measure were laid on 3 March.

The Valuation Office has to maintain the Rating List until the next revaluation and may alter the Rateable Value if they believe that the circumstances of the property have changed. The ratepayer (and certain others who have an interest in the property) can appeal against the Rateable Value if they believe it is incorrect.

It should be mentioned that an increase or decrease in Rateable Value may not necessarily result in a smaller or larger rates bill. This is because the calculation is based on a number of other factors such as the Rate Multiplier.

Check your Rateable Value

Your Rateable Value will be displayed on your Business Rates bill. You can also find out your Rateable Value from the following:

• The Valuation Office Agency's website
   
• Your local Valuation Office for Surrey Heath

Valuation Office Agency
Durham Customer Service Centre 
Wycliffe House 
Green Lane 
Durham 
DH1 3UW 

You can view and confirm the details held about your property at www.voa.gov.uk/valuation

You can contact the VOA using https://www.gov.uk/contact-voa

Empty Property Rates

Some properties can get extended empty property relief:

• industrial premises (e.g. 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
• properties owned by charities - only if the property's next use will be mostly for charitable purposes
• community amateur sports clubs buildings - only if the next use will be mostly as a sports club

Please contact the Business Rates as soon as a property becomes vacant

How will your rate liability be affected if your property is only partly occupied?

If your property is only partly occupied, the Council has discretion to request that the Valuation Officer of the Inland Revenue apportions the property's Rateable Value between the occupied and unoccupied areas. Contact us for more information 01276 707100.

You can check the Rateable Value and description of your property on the Valuation Office Agency's website.

2023 Revaluation

At revaluation, the government adjusts the value of business rates to reflect changes in the property market.

The next revaluations will take effect from 1 April 2023. Visit the Government website for further information.

You can check your rateable value on the Government website.

The Business Rate Multipliers, that are used to calculate the gross rates payable, before the application of any relief or exemption have not yet been published. They are normally announced in the Chancellor of the Exchequers Autumn Statement. In addition any changes to the current exemption and relief rules, including Small Business Rate Relief will also be announced in the Autumn Statement.

The Valuation Office Agency have stated that, they will also provide the full rating lists and a majority of summary valuations as a downloadable dataset. This provides a reliable and easy alternative for any advanced bulk data users. The data will be publicly available for download and free of charge but it can be used for business rates purposes only – full terms and conditions and a link to the download will be available on the Government website.