Written questions

Retail Trade: Business Rates

Commons · Question 103001 · Tabled 5 Jan 2026 · Treasury · Official record

Answered 12 Jan 2026

Question

Asked by Rupert Lowe

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what analysis has been conducted on the potential impact of business rates levels on commercial vacancy rates.

Answer

Answered by Dan Tomlinson, 12 Jan 2026

Empty Property Relief (EPR) operates by providing owners of empty non-domestic properties with 100% relief for the first 3 months (or 6 months for industrial properties) after a property becomes empty. If the property remains empty once the relief period ...