About the BID

The BID levy is payable on the whole rating assessment irrespective if part or all of it is empty. If a Hereditament is unoccupied, the liability for the daily BID Levy will fall on the organisation or person entitled to possession on the relevant day.

The Council will send you a reminder. You will have 14 days from the date shown on the notice to pay the reminder. If the BID levy remains outstanding after 14 days, you will be provided a Reminder Notice that will give you a further 7 days to make the payment. If after a further 7 (seven) days from the payment date stated in the Reminder Notice the outstanding sum of the BID Levy has not been paid, the Council shall make an application to the Magistrates Court for a Liability Order.

No, you will have to pay the full BID levy. The small business rate relief schemes will only affect your main non-domestic rate bill providing you meet the criteria.

Hammersmith & Fulham Council will send you a BID levy account for you to pay on behalf of the BID company. The BID levy is paid direct to the Council on 1 April or for new ratepayers within 14 days of the account being sent to you. There is no instalment facility but if you are experiencing difficulty in paying the account, you can telephone the Council to discuss payment. Hammersmith & Fulham Council is the collecting agent.

Yes, it could do. If it changes for example from an office and becomes one of the exempt classes, you will no longer have to pay the BID levy from the date it changed. Similarly, if it had been exempted and now falls within the terms of the BID levy, an account will be issued by the Council.

It will be the relevant rateable value (as amended) of the Hereditament in the 2026 or subsequent Valuation List, subject to the Closed Financial Year Rule. In the event that there is no such rateable value, the rateable value of the Hereditament for the purposes of the BID shall be that provided by the Valuation Office Agency.

Yes, there are a few types of properties that are excluded from the BID levy such as: (1) All charities receiving mandatory rate relief will be exempt; (2) All hereditaments with a rateable value of £50,999 or less will be exempt; and, (3) All public services, defined as those services free at the point of delivery, will be exempt from paying the levy. This includes Police, Fire Brigade and Ambulance services, the Council and public funded NHS Hospitals.

Any person, registered company or charity/non-profit making organisation who is the occupier/leaseholder or where the property is empty and a lease does not exist, the owner, of the non-domestic rated property within the BID Area is liable for the BID Levy.

The BID ballot takes place every five years, most recently between 19 September and 16 October 2025. The ballot was successful, with eligible ratepayers voting 92% in favour of the BID by number of votes and 96% in favour by rateable value. Turnout was 69%.

The new BID term begins 1 April 2026. The Council will issue BID levy accounts and Hammersmith BID will proceed to implement the BID proposals in the Business Plan 2026-2031.

The next ballot will take place in 2030/31.

The ballot papers are issued by the Council ahead of the ballot period. The next ballot will take place in 2030/31.

The ballot has to meet two tests. Firstly, there must be a simple majority (above 50 per cent) of those eligible to vote. Secondly, those voting in favour must represent a majority of the aggregate rateable value of the hereditaments voting. The full ballot procedure and ballot papers will be forwarded to those ratepayers/ nominated voters who are eligible to vote.

Hammersmith BID collects an annual levy from non-domestic ratepayers with a Rateable Value over £50,999 and those not exempted from the levy under the exemptions list (see the 2026-2031 Business Plan for the exemption list). The levy for 2026-2031 is fixed at 1.5% of the current Valuation List and is subject to the closed financial year rule.

The person(s), registered company or organisation who is the ratepayer for non-domestic rates of a rating hereditament within the Business Improvement District is typically listed as the default voter. However, if the business is in joint names, a registered Company or a charity/non-profit organisation, the person nominated will be the only person entitled to vote. To nominate the person, Voter Nomination Forms will be provided ahead of the ballot. Please contact us for further information and assistance.