South East · 2025-26
Business Rates in Fareham
Businesses in Fareham paid £42.9m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Fareham
Share of £11.4m total relief, 2025-26.
Fareham at a glance
Fareham granted £11.4m in relief overall, lower than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £3.7m in Small Business Rate Relief and £1.7m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £3.3m went to charity relief and £1.5m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Fareham has an estimated 4,340 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Fareham ranks 290 out of 296 local authorities in England on the 2025 Index of Multiple Deprivation, where 1 is most deprived and 296 is least deprived.
Following the 2026 revaluation, the total rateable value of industrial property in Fareham rose by 22.4% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Fareham?
Fareham's local authority collected £42.9m in net business rates income during 2025-26, based on the national multiplier applied to each property's rateable value, less any relief granted.
What reliefs are available in Fareham?
Fareham granted £11.4m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £3.7m in Small Business Rate Relief, £1.7m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £3.3m in charity relief, and £1.5m in empty property relief.
How do I know if I'm overpaying?
If your rateable value looks high compared to similar properties nearby, or you're not currently receiving relief you may be entitled to, it's worth checking your assessment. Use our free checker to compare your rateable value and see if you may be eligible for a reduction or backdated refund.
Fareham compared with the South East and England
- Average rateable value
- £34,183£1,113 below the South East average (£35,296)£193 above the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Industrial property, 39.3%9.3 percentage points above its 30.0% share in the South East
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +16.1%South East: +19.7%England: +19.6%
Counts and rateable values are from the stock of properties at March 2026, on the 2023 rating list. Changes are from the 2026 revaluation, comparing the 2023 rating list with the 2026 rating list.
Property mix
Fareham comes 102nd of 296 English councils on average rateable value (£34,183) and 31st of 64 in the South East. The same sector leads on numbers too: 31.4% of Fareham's rateable properties fall in the industrial category.
Retail makes up 20.4% of Fareham's rateable properties and 18.4% of its rateable value, both below the 22.5% and 20.7% across the South East. At March 2026, around 20 of Fareham's rateable properties had a rateable value of £500,000 or more, rising to around 30 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Fareham's +16.1% change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation sits mid-table in the South East: stronger than in 23 of the 63 other councils and weaker than in 40. The sharpest increase in Fareham was in industrial property, where total rateable value rose 22.4% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +19.9% for industrial property across the South East. No sector fell in Fareham: retail property moved least, up 7.4% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +10.8% for retail property across the South East.
Reliefs
In 2025-26, relief in Fareham came to 19.1% of gross rates payable, below the 21.2% for England as a whole. Small Business Rate Relief was the largest of the four main reliefs in Fareham, at 31.9% of total relief, above 28.0% across England.
Source: HM Revenue & Customs, using Valuation Office Agency data, and MHCLG relief returns. Open Government Licence v3.0. Method and rounding: /methodology.
See how Fareham compares with the rest of the region: Business rates in South East, State of Business Rates in England 2026 →
Nearby areas
Compare with other councils in the South East
Other South East councils with their average rateable value, listed from the closest to Fareham's £34,183.
- Business rates in Tunbridge Wells£34,197 average rateable value, £14 higher than Fareham
- Business rates in Buckinghamshire UA£34,402 average rateable value, £219 higher than Fareham
- Business rates in Swale£34,409 average rateable value, £226 higher than Fareham
- Business rates in Test Valley£34,461 average rateable value, £278 higher than Fareham
- Business rates in Portsmouth UA£33,850 average rateable value, £333 lower than Fareham
- Business rates in Mole Valley£33,505 average rateable value, £678 lower than Fareham
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Fareham
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