• Skip to content
  • Skip to navigation
Logo: Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
Your Account
  • Menu
Close menu
Close
  • About the Council
  • Business and Economy
  • Children and Families
  • Community and Living
  • Council Tax and Benefits
  • Education and Learning
  • Environment and Waste
  • Health and Social Care
  • Housing
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Leisure and Culture
  • Planning and Development
  • Transport and Streets
  • See all news
  • See all events
  1. Home
  2. Business and economy
  3. Business rates
  4. How to reduce your Business Rates bill

How to reduce your Business Rates bill

In this section

  1. Rural rate relief
  2. Mandatory and discretionary rate relief
  3. Small business rates relief
  4. Hardship relief
  5. You are here: Rate relief on empty properties
  6. Relief for Local Newspapers
  7. Support for Small Businesses
  8. Retail Discount
  9. Public toilets
  10. Heat networks relief
  11. Improvement relief
  12. Film studio relief
  13. Make an enquiry

Rate relief on empty properties

For the first three months that a property is empty, or six months in the case of industrial property, no business rates will be payable.

If a property is still empty at the end of the three or six month period, then business rates will be charged at 100 per cent of the basic occupied business rates unless:

  • The property has a rateable value of less than £2,900
  • The owner is prohibited by law from occupying the property
  • The owner is prohibited by action taken by the Crown, or any other local or public authority from occupying the premises
  • The property is a listed building
  • The owner is entitled to possession only in his capacity as the personal representative of a deceased person
  • The owner/occupier is a company in administration
  • The owner/occupier has been declared bankrupt
  • The owner is a company subject to a winding up order made under the Insolvency Act 1986
  • The owner is entitled to possession of the property in his capacity as liquidator under s112 or s145 of the Insolvency Act 1986
  • The owner is a trustee under a deed of arrangement to which the Deeds of Arrangement Act 1914 applies
  • The property is the responsibility of a charity and the property’s next use will be for charitable purposes
  • The property is the responsibility of a community amateur sports club and the next use will be as a sports club
  • Previous page: Hardship relief
  • Next page: Relief for Local Newspapers

Stay connected

Sign up for our newsletter
Footer Logo: Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
  • About this website
  • Accessibility statement
  • Privacy
  • Languages
  • Contact Us
  • Location
  • Terms and conditions
  • Facebook logo
  • Twitter logo
  • YouTube logo
  • Instagram logo
  • LinkedIn logo

All content © 2025 Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council. All Rights Reserved.

Designed and Powered by Jadu.

chatbot launch button image
Left Right
Full Wide Split Narrow
Chatbot avatar image
Hi, I'm Bailey
I'm here to answer your questions.

Hi, I'm Bailey, how can I help you today? You can ask me questions relating to a number of council services.

To start a chat you will need to click 'continue' to confirm you have read and understood our terms and conditions Privacy Policy.

Privacy Statement