Check if you're eligible for the coronavirus Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund
The Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund (RHLGF) supports businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors with their business costs during coronavirus.
Applies to England
Businesses in England in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors are entitled to a one-off cash grant of up to £25,000 from their local council.
What you get
If your business has a property with a rateable value of £15,000 or under, you may be eligible for a grant of £10,000.
If your business has a property that has a rateable value of over £15,000 but less than £51,000, you may be eligible for a grant of £25,000.
Eligibility
You’re eligible if your business:
- is based in England
- is in the retail, hospitality or leisure sector
- had a rateable value of under £51,000 on 11 March 2020
Changes made to a business’s rateable value or rating assessment after 11 March 2020 will not affect eligibility.
Properties covered by the fund
Properties eligible for the grant will be those that are wholly or mainly being used as a hospitality, retail, or leisure venue, such as a:
- shop
- restaurant, café, bar or pub
- cinema or live music venue
- estate agent or letting agency
- assembly or leisure property - for example, a bingo hall, a sports club, a gym or spa
- hospitality property - for example, a hotel, a guest house or self-catering accommodation
Eligible charities which have received charitable rate relief or discretionary relief can still get the grant.
Properties excluded from the fund
You cannot get funding for:
- properties occupied for personal uses, such as private stables, beach huts and moorings
- car parks and parking spaces
If you use more than one property
Eligible businesses can get one grant per property.
You cannot claim both the retail, hospitality and leisure grant and the small business grant on the same property.
If you already get state aid
The retail, hospitality and leisure grant counts as state aid under the COVID-19 Temporary Framework.
Your local council will ask you to complete a declaration confirming that:
- you will not exceed the state aid temporary framework threshold of €800,000
- you were not an ‘undertaking in difficulty’ on 31 December 2019
How to claim
The Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund is now closed.
What happens next
The grant will be paid to the person registered as the ratepayer for the property as of 11 March 2020.
You do not have to pay the grant back but it will be taxable. Only businesses which make an overall profit once grant income is included will be subject to tax.
1 May 2020
Updated with information on tax.
3 April 2020
Updated with information about state aid.
1 April 2020
First published.