South East · 2025-26
Business Rates in Mole Valley
Businesses in Mole Valley paid £40.6m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Mole Valley
Share of £12.3m total relief, 2025-26.
Mole Valley at a glance
Mole Valley granted £12.3m in relief overall, lower than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £3.3m in Small Business Rate Relief and £2.8m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £2.5m went to charity relief and £2.9m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Mole Valley has an estimated 5,120 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Mole Valley ranks 278 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 office property in Mole Valley rose by 7.8% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Mole Valley?
Mole Valley's local authority collected £40.6m 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 Mole Valley?
Mole Valley granted £12.3m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £3.3m in Small Business Rate Relief, £2.8m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £2.5m in charity relief, and £2.9m 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.
Mole Valley compared with the South East and England
- Average rateable value
- £33,505£1,791 below the South East average (£35,296)£485 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Office property, 37.1%20.3 percentage points above its 16.8% share in the South East
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +14.0%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
On average rateable value, Mole Valley sits 107th among England's 296 councils at £33,505, which is 33rd of 64 in the South East. Other commercial property makes up the largest share of Mole Valley's rateable properties (28.1%), but office property carries the most rateable value (37.1%).
Shops and other retail property account for 21.4% of Mole Valley's rateable properties and 18.0% of its value, lower than the 22.5% and 20.7% across the South East. High-value property is limited in Mole Valley: around 30 properties were rated at £500,000 or more at March 2026, unchanged at around 30 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Only 12 of the 63 other councils in the South East saw a weaker change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation than Mole Valley's +14.0%. Industrial property saw the biggest rise in Mole Valley: total rateable value up 22.6% between the 2023 and 2026 lists, against +19.9% for industrial property across the South East. Even the weakest sector in Mole Valley, office property, rose 7.8% in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation, against +16.8% for office property across the South East.
Reliefs
Total relief granted in Mole Valley equalled 21.6% of gross rates payable in 2025-26, close to the 21.2% across English councils taken together. Of the four main reliefs, Small Business Rate Relief accounted for the most in Mole Valley: 27.2% of the total, close to 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 Mole Valley 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 Mole Valley's £33,505.
- Business rates in Portsmouth UA£33,850 average rateable value, £345 higher than Mole Valley
- Business rates in Fareham£34,183 average rateable value, £678 higher than Mole Valley
- Business rates in Tunbridge Wells£34,197 average rateable value, £692 higher than Mole Valley
- Business rates in Buckinghamshire UA£34,402 average rateable value, £897 higher than Mole Valley
- Business rates in Gravesham£32,572 average rateable value, £933 lower than Mole Valley
- Business rates in Winchester£32,555 average rateable value, £950 lower than Mole Valley
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Mole Valley
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