Business rates help for pubs, hotels and restaurants
Not the Valuation Office or the government. Straight answers on the 2026 business rates revaluation, written by someone who runs a hospitality venue and went through it himself.
I run a bar in Pembrokeshire. When the 2026 business rates revaluation landed, I found the official guidance hard to follow and the private rating-firm sites harder to trust, so I built this to be the page I wish I'd had.
We're a bar owner's information site, not a surveyor. If you send this form, we may pass your details to a RICS-regulated rating firm we work with, who will contact you. They would pay us if you instruct them. You can check your valuation yourself free on the Valuation Office's service. No one can guarantee a reduction.
What changed in 2026
Every business property in England and Wales got a new rateable value in the 2026 revaluation, based on rental values around April 2024. Hospitality was hit harder than most: hotels rose the most, pubs and restaurants less, and new reliefs were brought in partway through to soften the pub bills specifically.
| Category | Properties, England & Wales | Total RV change | Mean RV, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotels, 4-star and above, and chain 3-star | 4,000 | +96.8% | £567,000 |
| Hotels, 3-star and under | 3,440 | +36.2% | £53,600 |
| Pubs with lodge/rooms | 440 | +69.5% | £213,900 |
| Holiday centres | 80 | +73.7% | £1,400,000 |
| Caravan and camping sites | 3,000 | +20.0% | £42,600 |
| Pubs and pub restaurants | 39,100 | +30.2% | £40,300 |
| Guest and boarding houses | 6,940 | +30.7% | £9,700 |
| Restaurants | 30,410 | +13.7% | £45,500 |
| Cafes | 17,190 | +14.2% | £17,500 |
| All properties, England and Wales | 2,140,000 | +19.4% | £39,600 |
VOA 2026 compiled-list statistics, GOV.UK, 2026. As of 2026. Total RV change, not the median property change — the two are different figures and this site never mixes them.
Who this site is for
Pub, hotel, restaurant, cafe, bar, holiday park, B&B and members' club operators in England and Wales who want to know what their bill should look like, whether a challenge is worth it, and where the new employment law changes land in 2026 and 2027.