No, not for an ordinary indoor storage unit with us, even if you're storing business stock. If you're after one of our outdoor containers or one of the large warehouse spaces, ask us how rates work before you book. Chipping Norton is also different: many of its units appear separately on the rating list, and our price there is described as inclusive of business rates for units up to 1,000 sq ft, so ask us to confirm in writing who is billed before you book there, and for any larger unit. Business rates on a property in use are paid by its occupier, and the Valuation Office treats a whole self-storage building as one property occupied by the storage company. So the rates on our buildings are our bill, and there's no separate business-rates charge in the fees you pay us. It's different if you rent your own lock-up or small warehouse: there you're the occupier, so the rates bill is normally yours, though small business rate relief can bring it to nothing if the rateable value is £12,000 or less and it's the only property your business uses.
Why the rates bill is ours and not yours
Business rates are charged on most non-domestic property, from shops and offices to warehouses. In law, the person liable is the one "in occupation of all or part of" a property on the council's rating list (Local Government Finance Act 1988, section 43).
The Valuation Office's own manual for valuing self storage answers the occupation question directly: "The self-storage provider is regarded as being in paramount control of the whole self-storage facility and, consequently, the whole of the building occupied by the provider should be treated as one hereditament." A hereditament is simply a property that is assessed for rates as a single unit.
Our storage agreement is built the same way. We "retain control, possession and management of the Facility and the Unit" (clause 2(d)), we "do not grant any lease or tenancy of the Unit" (clause 2(c)), and the agreement "does not confer on You any right to exclusive possession of the Unit" (clause 25). Clause 5, the list of fees and charges you're responsible for, has no business-rates line: it covers your storage fee, late-payment and collection costs, cleaning or repairs, and taxes such as VAT on what we supply.
That's why a small business can take a unit with us without taking on a rates bill. As we put it on our guide to scaling stock for peak season: "Wigwam carries the business-rates liability for the facility; you pay for the unit you use."
A unit with us, or a lock-up or warehouse of your own?
| A storage unit with us | Your own lock-up or small warehouse | |
|---|---|---|
| Who occupies it for rates | We do: one property, the whole building | You do, once the lease gives you the space |
| Who pays business rates | Us | You, if the property is on the rating list |
| Bill | None to you for rates | From the council, sent each February or March for the coming tax year |
| Small business rate relief | Not needed | Nothing to pay if the rateable value is £12,000 or less and it's your only business property; relief tapers away between £12,001 and £15,000 |
| What you can use it for | Storage only | Whatever your lease allows |
Before you sign for a lock-up or warehouse of your own, look up its rateable value on GOV.UK's "Find a business rates valuation" service. The rateable value is the Valuation Office's estimate of the property's open-market rent on 1 April 2024, and your council multiplies it by a set figure (the multiplier) to work out the bill. Then check with the council whether you'd qualify for small business rate relief.
If you already have a shop, workshop or yard, taking a second rated property of your own affects that relief. GOV.UK says (checked 29 September 2026) you keep relief on your main property for 36 months if you take the second one on or after 27 November 2025, and after that only if none of your other properties has a rateable value above £2,899 and the total stays under £20,000 (£28,000 in London). If a unit isn't a separately rated property in your name, it isn't a property you occupy for rates, so it isn't a second property for relief. If you rely on relief, confirm with your council.
Where to check before you sign
The Valuation Office's rule is written for storage buildings, so a few of our spaces are worth asking about first.
Outdoor containers are the main one. The manual does tell valuers to add storage containers on a site's land into the value of the storage facility, but the position can differ from site to site, so if you're taking a container for your business, ask us how rates are handled at that site before you book, and mention it to your accountant. The same goes for the large warehouse spaces at Lincoln, March and Marlow, which run from 5,000 to 7,050 sq ft: ask us how rates work for that space before you sign.
At Chipping Norton the rating list shows many of the individual units at the site as separate entries. Our Chipping Norton price list says unit sizes up to 1,000 sq ft "are inclusive of business rates". Because the units there are listed separately, ask us to confirm in writing who is billed before you book, and for any unit over 1,000 sq ft.
What your accountant should answer
A few related questions belong with your accountant, or with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). If you're the accountant, one tip: ask us to confirm in writing which company is the rated occupier at your client's site.
- Whether storage fees are an allowable business expense is a question for your accountant or HMRC.
- Your other premises. If you trade from home, GOV.UK says you don't usually pay business rates for using a small part of your home for the business, or for selling goods by post. Keeping stock in a unit with us doesn't add a rates bill on top.
- VAT on your storage fees. See do we provide VAT invoices for business storage.
One limit keeps the rates position simple: a unit is for storage only. Our terms rule out using it "as offices" or "as a home, business or mailing address" (clause 22(a)), so you can't trade or see customers from it. If you sell online, that means the unit can't be your business or mailing address either: see having post delivered to your unit and packing orders in your unit. Our guide on running a business from a storage unit covers what's allowed.
If you're ready to compare the numbers, get a price online or call us on 0800 2545585, and tell us if the space is for your business so we can help you pick the right size.
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