Executive Committee Decisions: Rates Relief For B&B’s And Guesthouses

A report outlining special rates relief for B&Bs and guesthouses in eThekwini was tabled at an online Executive Committee meeting held today, 26 May.

This is being done to ensure their sustainability during the lockdown.

The report states that a special adjustment is sought to the 2019/20 annual budget that was approved on 29 May 2019 to provide relief to certain category of owners which have been unable to operate during the lockdown.

The report states that upon written application and approval, qualifying owners of rateable immovable property who are engaged in Bed and Breakfasts and guesthouses and have suffered more than a 60 percent revenue loss, be afforded rates relief in an amount not exceeding 50 percent of the current rates payable on the property.

The rates relief will be effective retrospectively from 1 April 2020 until the lockdown levels is relaxed to level three or lower, with the rates relief terminating on the last day of the month immediately following the month in which a lower alert level declaration occurs in terms of the Disaster Management Act 2002.

The application window for the submissions of an application for Covid-19 rates relief for the 2019/20 financial year will be 30 June 2020.

In case of multiple use properties, rates relief will apply only to the applicable rates categories allocated to the qualifying uses in question.

Property owners will be required to apply for rates relief on a prescribed form.