Can I sell my rental houses and invest the money into a business premises without paying capital gains tax on the profit? 

Arthur Weller replies:  

If your rental houses are qualifying furnished holiday lettings (FHL), then you could sell them and reinvest in a qualifying business asset. This is due to the 'replacement of business assets (rollover) capital gains tax relief', which can be seen in HMRC’s Capital Gains Manual at CG60250C. See CG60287 refurnished holiday lettings. But besides FHLs and compulsory purchase situations, there is generally no rollover relief on the disposal of investment properties. In the 2024 Spring Budget the Chancellor announce that the special rules for FHLs are being abolished from April 2025.