Improvement relief
Improvement relief is designed to:
- Support businesses who have invested in their property
- Provide relief from higher business rates bills, where the increase in your bill was due to making certain improvements to your property
- Lasts for 12 months from when the improvement works were completed
How to receive improvement relief
You don't need to apply for improvement relief with Herefordshire Council but you must satisfy the 2-step process with the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) as listed below.
We'll automatically apply the relief for you on receipt of the improvement relief certificate from the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) after you have satisfied the two-step process with the VOA direct.
Step 1
You must meet the improvement relief criteria listed in the VOA technical manual for the rating of business property.
You'll then receive a certificate of qualifying works from the VOA and they will send this information to us.
Step 2
Once the certificate has been issued by the VOA, billing authorities need to assess if the rate payer also meets the occupation condition. They need to be satisfied that in the period since qualifying works commenced:
- The property has remained occupied
- The rate payer has not changed
What happens next
If you meet these conditions, we'll apply the relief and send you a revised business rates bill.
You cannot appeal the certified values. Contact the VOA if you have any other questions, using the email address on your certificate.
You must continue to pay your business rates as detailed on your demand notice until such time that the improvement relief is applied and a revised demand showing the relief is issued.