For cafe & coffee shop owners
Every cost counts in a cafe. Is your rates bill one to question?
Cafes are usually valued on floor space using comparable evidence — but small premises can still end up valued higher than similar cafes on the same parade. Check yours free against VOA data nearby: it takes a postcode, not an afternoon.
Free, instant check. No email required.
A lower bill could mean room to breathe — the new machine you keep pricing up, an extra pair of hands at the weekend, a buffer for the slow months.
Common Issues for Cafes & Coffee Shops
These are the most frequent problems we find when checking business rates for cafes & coffee shops.
Cafes are typically valued on floor area, yet two similar units on the same street can carry very different rateable values — yours may be on the high side.
Retail, Hospitality & Leisure (RHL) Relief applies to most cafes, but councils do not always apply it automatically or correctly.
Many cafes have a rateable value low enough to qualify for Small Business Rate Relief — sometimes reducing the bill to zero — but have never claimed it.
The 2026 revaluation reassessed every cafe using 1 April 2024 evidence; your new valuation may not reflect how the unit and the parade trade now.
Reliefs That May Apply to Your Cafe
We check every available relief as part of your property assessment. These are the most common for cafes & coffee shops.
Small Business Rate Relief
Up to 100%
Up to 100% off your rates bill if you occupy a single property with a rateable value under £15,000.
Retail, Hospitality & Leisure Relief
40% (2025-26)
40% relief for retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses in 2025-26.
Empty Property Relief
100% (time-limited)
No rates to pay for the first 3 months your property is empty (6 months for warehouses and industrial).
Example Savings
A typical cafe with a rateable value of £13,000.
Current Bill
£6,487
/year
Potential Saving
£2,100
−32% per year
Optimised Bill
£4,387
/year
Example for illustration only. Actual savings depend on individual property circumstances, location, and applicable reliefs.
How We Help Cafes & Coffee Shops
Check
We compare your cafe's rateable value against VOA data for similar properties and check for Small Business Rate Relief, RHL Relief.
Challenge
If we find you're overcharged, we write to your council for relief claims and submit a formal Check and Challenge to the VOA on your behalf.
Protect
Year-round monitoring, compliance handling, and annual reviews. You keep 100% of your savings.
One plan, one price
£99/year
Check, challenge, monitoring, compliance. No percentage fees.
Check Your Cafe's Rates in 60 Seconds
Free, instant check. No email required. See your savings potential and find out if you are overpaying.