Lawful & Beneficial: How Business Rates Mitigation Supports Landlords and Communities

In the ever-evolving commercial property market, landlords face significant financial pressures, particularly when properties become vacant. At the same time, faith communities across the UK often struggle to find suitable and affordable places of worship. Through business rates mitigation, property owners can reduce their financial burden while supporting meaningful community initiatives.

At Verity, we believe in ethical, legal, and community-driven solutions that benefit all parties involved. Our approach to business rates mitigation aligns with the Local Government Finance Act 1988, which allows exemptions for properties made available for religious worship. This legislation was established to support faith communities, ensuring they have access to spaces for prayer and community activities.

To make this possible, we partner with Faithful, an interfaith organisation dedicated to connecting landlords with religious groups in need of worship spaces.

Why Business Rates Mitigation Is Essential, Not Exploitative

Vacant properties can be a major financial strain for landlords. Business rates continue to accumulate, even when a property is generating no rental income. Meanwhile, councils receive no benefit from an unoccupied and unused space.

By offering these spaces for religious worship, landlords can activate otherwise vacant properties, reducing their holding costs while supporting faith-based communities in need of space. This is not about avoiding taxes—it’s about utilising existing legal provisions to create positive social impact.

Faithful: Connecting Landlords & Faith Communities

Many religious organisations, especially smaller or newer ones, struggle to find accessible and affordable spaces to practice their faith. This is where Faithful plays a key role.

Faithful provides a platform where landlords can list their available properties as safe and accessible spaces for worship, allowing faith communities to book them free of charge. These properties range from office spaces to retail units and warehouses, offering flexible options for different religious groups.

Every faith space made available through Faithful Global is genuinely open for worship, ensuring compliance with regulations while delivering real value to the communities it serves.

An Ethical & Legal Process

There is sometimes confusion surrounding business rates mitigation, with some assuming it is a loophole rather than a legitimate and essential part of property management. The truth is:

✅ It is fully compliant with UK tax laws and follows the regulations set out by local authorities.

✅ It benefits both landlords and communities, helping to prevent properties from sitting empty while providing space for religious groups.

✅ It is subject to review, ensuring that exemptions are granted only when properties are being used as intended, following evidence being submitted.

Verity, together with Faithful, works closely with landlords, faith groups, and local authorities to ensure full transparency and compliance at every stage. If an exemption does not meet the necessary criteria, councils can challenge it, and we support a fair and lawful assessment of each case. Our initiatives are underpinned by legal framework.

No One Wants an Empty Property

No landlord chooses to mitigate their empty rates liabilities because it’s beneficial to them. They would much rather have an occupied property generating income than having to deal with an empty unit that brings in nothing. Mitigation is not a first choice—it’s a necessity.

When a property lies empty and becomes almost impossible to let, we step in and make use of the space, ensuring it serves a greater purpose for communities while helping landlords reduce their financial burden.

Rather than leaving properties vacant and neglected, partnering with Faithful allows us to ensure that properties are being used for genuine faith-based purposes, creating a mutually beneficial solution for landlords and religious organisations.

If you’re a landlord with an empty property, or a faith group seeking a place to worship, get in touch to find out more about how we can create a solution that benefits everyone.

📩 Contact 0333 613 4583 to speak to our friendly experts.