South East · 2025-26
Business Rates in Hart
Businesses in Hart paid £35.5m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Hart
Share of £8.7m total relief, 2025-26.
Hart at a glance
Hart granted £8.7m in relief overall, lower than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £2.7m in Small Business Rate Relief and £1.6m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £1.8m went to charity relief and £1.6m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Hart has an estimated 4,490 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Hart ranks 296 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 Hart rose by 10.9% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Hart?
Hart's local authority collected £35.5m 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 Hart?
Hart granted £8.7m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £2.7m in Small Business Rate Relief, £1.6m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £1.8m in charity relief, and £1.6m 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.
Hart compared with the South East and England
- Average rateable value
- £35,179£117 below the South East average (£35,296)£1,189 above the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Other commercial property, 38.0%5.5 percentage points above its 32.5% share in the South East
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +15.9%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
At £35,179, Hart's average rateable value ranks 94th of 296 councils in England and 26th of 64 in the South East. Other commercial property also accounts for the most properties in Hart, at 28.0% of its rateable properties.
In Hart, retail is 21.6% of rateable properties and 16.0% of rateable value; across the South East the figures are 22.5% and 20.7%. High-value property is limited in Hart: around 10 properties were rated at £500,000 or more at March 2026, rising to around 20 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Of the 63 other councils in the South East, 21 saw a weaker change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation than Hart's +15.9% and 41 saw a stronger one. Office property saw the biggest rise in Hart: total rateable value up 30.2% between the 2023 and 2026 lists, against +16.8% for office property across the South East. Even the weakest sector in Hart, retail property, rose 2.9% in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation, against +10.8% for retail property across the South East.
Reliefs
Total relief granted in Hart equalled 19.5% of gross rates payable in 2025-26, below the 21.2% across English councils taken together. Of the four main reliefs, Small Business Rate Relief accounted for the most in Hart: 31.3% of the total, above the England figure of 28.0%.
Source: HM Revenue & Customs, using Valuation Office Agency data, and MHCLG relief returns. Open Government Licence v3.0. Method and rounding: /methodology.
See how Hart 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 Hart's £35,179.
- Business rates in Test Valley£34,461 average rateable value, £718 lower than Hart
- Business rates in Swale£34,409 average rateable value, £770 lower than Hart
- Business rates in Buckinghamshire UA£34,402 average rateable value, £777 lower than Hart
- Business rates in Epsom & Ewell£35,956 average rateable value, £777 higher than Hart
- Business rates in Tunbridge Wells£34,197 average rateable value, £982 lower than Hart
- Business rates in Reigate & Banstead£37,710 average rateable value, £2,531 higher than Hart
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Hart
By email.