From 1 April 2026, Retail, Hospitality and Leisure relief is no longer available for new claims. Hospitality operators now calculate their business rates bill using revised rate multipliers set specifically for RHL-category properties. For operators who have been relying on an annual relief application, the 2026-27 bill will look different and must be checked against the correct multiplier for your rateable value. Separately, Small Business Rate Relief continues and many small cafes, takeaways and pubs qualify for 100% relief but have never claimed it.
GOV.UK is explicit: 'You cannot make a new claim for retail, hospitality and leisure relief. From 1 April 2026, you will need to use rate multipliers to calculate your business rates bill.' The RHL scheme ran at varying percentages and annual cash caps in previous years. Those rates no longer apply for new claims from this date. Operators who see content quoting a live RHL relief percentage for 2026-27 are reading stale information.
In England, RHL-category properties now pay a revised multiplier that sits below the national standard rate. For 2026-27: 38.2p in the pound for rateable values below £51,000; 43p for rateable values from £51,000 to £499,999; properties at £500,000 or above pay 50.8p (gov.uk, checker-verified, England only). Scotland and Wales operate different non-domestic rates regimes; figures for those nations are not stated here. Your 2026-27 rates bill should be checked against the correct multiplier for your rateable value band.
Properties with a rateable value of £12,000 or below receive 100% Small Business Rate Relief, provided it is the only property the business uses (gov.uk). The relief tapers: 50% at £13,500, 33% at £14,000, zero at £15,000. Many takeaways, small cafes and independent pubs fall into this range and have never applied. SBRR must be claimed from the local authority; it is not applied automatically in all cases.
Rateable values are set by the Valuation Office Agency based on hypothetical rental evidence at the antecedent valuation date. A rateable value that does not reflect the true market position means paying too much for the life of the rating list. Hospitality premises that have undergone significant change, are in a declining rental market or were assessed on comparable evidence that no longer holds may have grounds for a check, challenge or appeal. An incorrect rateable value compounds every year it remains in place.
We review your business rates bill against the correct 2026-27 multiplier for your rateable value and property category, confirm whether the revised RHL multiplier applies and identify any errors in the bill issued by your local authority. England figures are used as the default; operators in Scotland or Wales are flagged separately to the relevant devolved authority position.
We assess your rateable value and property use against the SBRR eligibility criteria, confirm whether the 100% relief or the taper applies, and assist with the application to your local authority. For <a href="/for/cafes-and-coffee-shops">cafes</a> and <a href="/for/takeaways">takeaways</a> in particular, an unclaimed SBRR entitlement can be significant. See also <a href="/services/hospitality-vat">VAT</a> and <a href="/services/hospitality-payroll">payroll</a> if you are reviewing overall occupancy costs.
We review your rateable value against comparable rental evidence and advise whether a Check, Challenge or Appeal through the Valuation Office Agency process is likely to succeed. We signpost the correct route and timeline, including the obligation to continue paying at the current assessed level while a challenge is live.
Tell us about your hospitality business and we will reply within 24 hours. No obligation.