Checked against the rating list and the rules in force as at 2026-08-23.
Yes. Restaurants sit in the retail, hospitality and leisure class, which is charged at a lower multiplier than the standard one. Smaller premises may qualify for small business rate relief as well. Whether either has reached your bill is a separate question, and the bill is the only place that shows it.
The retail, hospitality and leisure multiplier. Restaurants, takeaways, cafés and pubs all sit in this class. They are charged at a lower rate than an office of the same size. In principle your council applies it without being asked. In practice, see the next section.
Small business rate relief. This one turns on the rateable value alone, so what you sell makes no difference. Below the threshold it covers the whole bill. In the band above, it tapers away. It has to be claimed, and no council will remind you.
Empty property relief. A period of relief while the premises are unoccupied. Worth knowing about during a fit-out.
Charitable relief doesn’t apply to an ordinary restaurant.
Whether the lower multiplier reaches your bill depends on how the property is coded in your council’s billing system. Coding is done by people. It goes wrong, and when it does, nothing on the bill says so.
There are two common versions. A shop that became a restaurant, where the use changed and the code didn’t. And a new premises coded wrongly from the start. Either way you pay the higher rate, year after year.
Small business rate relief tends to fall off at a change of occupier. The previous tenant claimed it in their own right, and it ended when their account closed. You have to claim it again in your own name.
Two checks, both on the bill.
Divide the gross charge by your rateable value. What comes out is the multiplier you are actually being charged at. Compare it with the standard rate and with the lower rate.
Read the relief lines. The bill itemises what has been granted. Look for a relief that should be there and isn’t.
Public data tells you which band a property falls in. It won’t tell you what your council charged, so both checks need the bill in front of you.
One more thing before you count a saving. Transitional arrangements and supporting small business relief limit how far a bill can move in a year. A saving that is real on paper can be swallowed by a cap and never reach your account. We check the cash position before telling you a figure is worth pursuing.
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.
Public data only. We do not ask for your rates bill, and there is nothing to upload.
If there's nothing to save, we say so.
Send a photo of your rates bill and we’ll tell you the same day whether there is anything to recover. WhatsApp 07594 933857.
Sources: Multipliers for qualifying retail, hospitality or leisure (GOV.UK) · Apply for business rates relief (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.