For UK pub & bar owners
Trade is down. Has your rates bill caught up?
Pubs are valued on the VOA's estimate of your fair maintainable trade — the takings they think a typical operator would make — not on floor space. If your trade has fallen, your rateable value may not have caught up. Check yours free: it takes a postcode, not an afternoon.
Free, instant check. No email required.
A lower bill could mean breathing room — the cellar cooling fixed before summer, a quieter quarter covered, time you are not spending on hold to the council.
Common Issues for Pubs & Bars
These are the most frequent problems we find when checking business rates for pubs & bars.
Pubs are valued on Fair Maintainable Trade (FMT) — the VOA's estimate of typical takings. If your trade has fallen below that estimate, your valuation may be too high.
Retail, Hospitality & Leisure (RHL) Relief is set by the government each year and applied by your council — but it is not always applied automatically or correctly.
The 2026 revaluation reassessed every pub using 1 April 2024 evidence — your new rateable value may not reflect how your site actually trades now.
Many smaller pubs qualify for Small Business Rate Relief but have never claimed it.
Reliefs That May Apply to Your Pub
We check every available relief as part of your property assessment. These are the most common for pubs & bars.
Retail, Hospitality & Leisure Relief
40% (2025-26)
40% relief for retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses in 2025-26.
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.
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 pub with a rateable value of £18,000.
Current Bill
£8,982
/year
Potential Saving
£3,200
−36% per year
Optimised Bill
£5,782
/year
Example for illustration only. Actual savings depend on individual property circumstances, location, and applicable reliefs.
How We Help Pubs & Bars
Check
We compare your pub's rateable value against VOA data for similar properties and check for RHL Relief, Small Business Rate 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 Pub's Rates in 60 Seconds
Free, instant check. No email required. See your savings potential and find out if you are overpaying.