The Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund: Explained

The Retail, Hospitality, and Leisure Grant Fund (RHLGF) is part of the UK government’s plan to support small businesses during coronavirus. A cash grant, it is payable per business property you own. How much you receive depends on the rateable value of each of your properties as of 11th March 2020.

As the name suggests, it’s targeted specifically at businesses in the UK’s retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors.

The RHLGF is a separate grant from the Small Business Grant Fund (SBGF).

How much will your business receive from the grant fund?

Eligible businesses that operate in the retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors will receive one of either two amounts.

• Businesses with property that has a rateable value of up to and including £15,000 are eligible for a grant of £10,000
• Businesses with property that has a rateable value of over £15,000 and less than £51,000 are eligible for a grant of £25,000

Which businesses are eligible for the grant?

To be eligible, your business must have had a rateable value of less than £51,000 on 11th March 2020. 

You’ll also need to be operating in one or more of the sectors defined by the government as retail, hospitality, or leisure. That means you’ll need to be using your business property for one of the following purposes:

• As a shop, restaurant, cafe, drinking establishment, cinema, or live music venue
• For assembly or leisure
• As a hotel, guest and boarding premises, or self-catering accommodation

Businesses types eligible for the Retail, Hospitality, and Leisure Grant Fund include, but are not wholly limited to:

Which businesses aren’t eligible?

The following businesses are not eligible for the Retail, Hospitality, and Leisure Grant Fund:

• Recipients of the Small Business Grant Fund
• Businesses with property that has a rateable value of over £51,000
• Car parks and parking spaces
• Businesses that were in liquidation or dissolved as of 11th March 2020
• Business property occupied for personal use (such as beach huts, moorings, and private stables)

How can businesses access the funding?

Local authorities are responsible for calling or writing to businesses to confirm their eligibility for the grant. The recipient of the grant is the person the authorities have recorded as being the ratepayer as of 11th March 2020.

If your business is eligible and you haven’t been contacted, you should get in touch with your local authority. If you’re not sure who that is, you can find out with this council locator tool.

For more information about the Retail, Hospitality, and Leisure Grant Fund, view the government’s official grant guidance, or click below for our coverage of what the COVID-19 means for small UK businesses.