Checked against the rating list and the rules in force as at 2026-08-23.
The multiplier is the tax rate. Your annual bill is roughly the rateable value multiplied by it, less any reliefs. There are several bands, depending on the size of the rateable value and on whether the property is retail, hospitality or leisure. That class is charged 5p less in the pound. Dividing the gross charge on your bill by the rateable value shows which band your council is charging you at.
These are the figures our own model runs on:
| Band | Statutory | With supplement | Typically |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under £51,000, retail/hospitality/leisure | 38.2p | 39.2p | Most small restaurants, takeaways and cafés |
| Under £51,000, other uses | 43.2p | 44.2p | An office or shop of the same size |
| £51,000–£500,000, retail/hospitality/leisure | 43p | 44p | Larger restaurants and chain units |
| £51,000–£500,000, other uses | 48p | 49p | |
| £500,000 and above | 50.8p | 51.8p | All uses, regardless of type |
Take the gross charge on the bill, the figure before reliefs, and divide it by your rateable value.
Take a restaurant with a rateable value of £50,000. A gross charge of £22,100 works out at 0.442, the non-qualifying rate for a property this size, so the lower multiplier has not reached you. A gross charge of £19,600 works out at 0.392, which is the retail and hospitality band.
On a £50,000 rateable value the difference between the two bands is £2,500 a year.
The retail, hospitality and leisure class has two bands, and the step between them is at £51,000. Just under it a café pays 0.392. Just over it, 0.440. There is no taper. On a rateable value of £52,000 the step is worth £2,496 a year.
1,900 London retail, hospitality and leisure premises sit between £51,000 and £55,000 on the 2026 list. If yours is one of them, check which side of the line the bill has you on. Errors cluster at the line.
From 2026/27 there is an extra 1p in the pound, applied across England. Your figure will usually come out a penny above the statutory multiplier. That is expected. Take the supplement off before you compare with the published rate.
In London, properties with a rateable value of £92,000 or more pay a further 2p towards Crossrail. Allow for it on a larger property, or you will conclude you are in a higher band than you are.
If you are on the higher band and your use says otherwise, the likely cause is classification: how the property is coded in your council’s system.
That is an administrative correction rather than a valuation appeal. The two run down different routes, on different timescales. Which one applies to you can be settled by looking at the bill.
Every retail and hospitality premises in London has been checked against the official rating list. Enter your address to see yours. No sign-up, no phone number.
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Sources: Multipliers for qualifying retail, hospitality or leisure (GOV.UK) · How business rates are calculated (GOV.UK)
Each borough page carries the spread of rateable values and the value per square metre, by type of premises. It also ranks the most expensive streets in the borough. Those aggregations are ours.
We checked 109,537 London retail and hospitality premises against the 2026 rating list — seeing your street’s figures is free, no sign-up.