Retail business rate relief form

Who can apply

To be entitled to Expanded Retail Discount, your premises will be occupied and must be wholly or mainly being used as:

• as shops, restaurants, cafes, drinking establishments, cinemas and live music venues
• for assembly and leisure
• as hotels, guest & boarding premises and self-catering accommodation

We consider shops, restaurants, cafes, drinking establishments, cinemas and live music venues to mean:

• premises that are being used for the sale of goods to visiting members of the public:
  • shops, such as florists, bakers, butchers, grocers, greengrocers, jewellers, stationers, off licences, chemists, newsagents, hardware stores or supermarkets
  • charity shops
  • opticians
  • post offices
  • furnishing shops or display rooms, such as carpet shops, double glazing, garage doors
  • Car or caravan show rooms
  • second-hand car lots
  • markets
  • petrol stations
  • garden centres
  • art galleries where art is for sale or hire
• premises that are being used for the provision of the following services to visiting members of the public:
  • hair and beauty services such as hairdressers, nail bars, beauty salons or tanning shops
  • shoe repairs or key cutting
  • travel agents
  • ticket offices, for example for theatre
  • dry cleaners or launderettes
  • PC, TV or domestic appliance repair
  • funeral directors
  • photo processing
  • tool hire
  • car hire
• premises that are being used for the sale of food and/or drink to visiting members of the public:
  • restaurants
  • takeaways
  • sandwich shops
  • coffee shops
  • pubs
  • bars
• premises which are being used as cinemas
• premises that are being used as live music venues

We consider assembly and leisure to mean:

• premises that are being used for the provision of sport, leisure and facilities to visiting members of the public, including for the viewing of such activities:
  • sports grounds and clubs
  • museums and art galleries
  • nightclubs
  • sport and leisure facilities
  • stately homes and historic houses
  • theatres
  • tourist attractions
  • gyms
  • wellness centres, spas, massage parlours
  • casinos, gambling clubs and bingo halls
• premises that are being used for the assembly of visiting members of the public:
  
  • public halls
  • clubhouses, clubs and institutions

We consider hotels, guest and boarding premises and self-catering accommodation to mean premises where the non-domestic part is being used for the provision of living accommodation as a business:

• hotels, guest and boarding houses
• holiday homes
• caravan parks and sites

Who cannot apply

You cannot apply if:

• the premises are being used for the provision of the following services to visiting members of the public, such as:
  • financial services, for example banks, building societies, cash points, bureaux de change, short-term loan providers, or betting shops
  • medical services, such as vets, dentists, doctors, osteopaths, chiropractors
  • professional services, such as solicitors, accountants, insurance agents, financial advisers or employment agencies, estate agents, letting agents
  • post office sorting offices
• the premises are not reasonably accessible to visiting members of the public