Lower rates in the pound for qualifying shops, pubs, restaurants, cafés, gyms, hotels and similar. Since 1 April 2026 this is a lower multiplier rather than a relief — there is no claim form, and your council decides who qualifies from its record of how the property is used.
Until 31 March 2026 this was a relief: a percentage discount on the bill, applied for through the council and subject to a cash cap. It has ended, and no new claim can be made for it.
From 1 April 2026 qualifying retail, hospitality and leisure properties in England are instead billed on lower multipliers, each 5p in the pound below the ordinary rate — 38.2p below a rateable value of £51,000 and 43.0p from £51,000. Properties with a rateable value of £500,000 or more are excluded.
To qualify, the property must be wholly or mainly used for a qualifying retail, hospitality or leisure purpose and be available to visiting members of the public in person. Because there is no application, there is also no formal appeal: if your council has the use recorded wrongly, the lower multiplier simply never appears on the bill. Ask your council which multiplier it is applying and why.
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