Non-domestic building
The term ‘non-domestic building’ refers to any building that is not a domestic building.
A 'domestic building' is a dwelling that has no more than one family unit resident in it, and which is used as a place of permanent or semi-permanent habitation.The most common example of a domestic building is a house.
Examples of non-domestic buildings include:
It can also be used to refer to B&B accommodation and holiday homes which are let for 140 days or more a year.
Business rates are a local tax paid by the occupiers of non-domestic property in England and Wales. Business rates are calculated and collected by local authorities. For more information, see Business rates.
NB The term ‘residential building’ refers to blocks of flats, homes of multiple occupancy (HMOs), institutions (e.g. hospitals, care homes, prisons), hotels, hostels, student halls of residence, and so on. That is, residential buildings are non-domestic buildings.
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