Improvement relief
Improvement Relief will support businesses wishing to invest in their property.
It will ensure that no ratepayer will face higher business rates bills for 12 months as a result of qualifying improvements to a property they occupy.
In order to qualify, the works should increase the area of any building, otherwise improve the physical state of the property or add to it rateable plant and machinery.
Neither a newly constructed property nor a refurbished property which has been removed from the rating list temporarily during the works will qualify.
A change of use alone or the addition of land will not qualify.
The same ratepayer must have been in occupation of the property on each day since the qualifying works commenced.
The relief will commence from 1 April 2024 and apply to works completed by 31 March 2028 (with qualifying works completed by that date benefitting from 12 months of relief).
Once the Valuation Office Agency is satisfied that the qualifying works condition has been met then it will issue a certificate of the increase in rateable value which is attributable to any works falling within the meaning of qualifying works.
The billing authority will then apply the relief using the certificate provided the occupation condition has been met.