Business rate fraud is when a business deliberately gives incorrect or misleading information in order to pay less or no business rates.
There are a number of ways that businesses can commit business rate fraud, including
- Not declaring all of their properties
Businesses are required to declare all of their properties to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA). If a business fails to declare a property, they may be able to avoid paying business rates on that property.
- Declaring a false rateable value
The rateable value of a property is used to calculate business rates. Businesses can commit fraud by declaring a false rateable value for their property. This can result in them paying less business rates than they should.
- Not declaring changes to their business
Businesses are required to notify the VOA of any changes to their business, such as a change in the use of the property or a change in the amount of floor space. If a business fails to notify the VOA of a change, they may be able to avoid paying business rates on the property.
If you suspect that a business is committing business rate fraud, you can report it to us using our fraud reporting system.
This form helps us improve the content and structure of our webpages only, and we cannot provide a response to any submission below.
To get in touch with a service-related enquiry, please use the contact us form.