Public House receives over £17,500 in backdated RHL Relief through RVA
Case study:
Public House and B&B | Nottinghamshire
Well cherished pub in Newark, Nottinghamshire, receives thousands in backdated RHL Relief.
KEY
FACTS
£17,541
SAVINGS
Public House
PROPERTY TYPE
The Client
Set in the village of Sutton-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, our client is a charming Pub and B&B on the boarder with Lincolnshire. They appointed RVA Surveyors to review their business rates prior to the 2026 revaluation.
The Challenge
With the significant increases pubs will experience in the 2026 rating list and with the discontinuation of RHL Relief, our client sought assistance of RVA Surveyors to understand if a reduction could be made on their business rates liabilities. During the review of their business rates, the RVA Audit Team conducted an in-depth forensic review to see if further savings could be made on their behalf through the applications of reliefs.
The Solution
To do this, The Audit Team worked closely with the Local Authority (LA) to evaluate if our client could be in receipt of any potential reliefs. It was during the Audit Team’s review that our client was found to be eligible for backdated Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) relief.
For a commercial ratepayer to be successful in the application of RHL Relief, evidence of clients or customers entering the premise must be included to support the claim. For our client, evidence such as photographs of the pub showing customer entrances and signage, and proof of purchase for products and goods (i.e., customer receipts and orders) were collected and sent to the Local Authority.
The Outcome
The Audit Team were successful in applying for the backdated RHL Relief which led to significant savings of £17,541 dating back to the 2022/23 rating period. With the discontinuation of RHL Relief which took effect on 1st April, the success of this application will offer extensive support as they navigate the 2026 rating list.
