The vast majority of UK properties are privately owned by individuals, many having been purchased as an investment rather than as a main residence. The private investor landlord is taxed on the amount of letting income received less allowable expenses incurred on a fiscal year basis, as well as on […]
What Is Ownership? In most cases, the issue of whether or not someone ‘owns’ a thing is a straightforward matter. But, real property (land and/or buildings, etc.) is one of those areas where the precise form of ownership can be important. As we are interested primarily in the taxation of […]
Mark McLaughlin highlights a potential problem for married couples and civil partners regarding valuations of jointly-owned property. Valuing assets such as land and buildings is potentially tricky for various tax purposes, including inheritance tax (IHT) on making a chargeable lifetime transfer, or on death. One area of potential difficulty is […]
When looking at property tax there are many different aspects to consider in the main differences between property investment and property trading activities, and their implications from a UK tax perspective. As this is a popular property tax subject, here at Tax Insider we have produced a comprehensive report which […]
Alan Pink considers the tax charges that can arise when a trading property becomes an investment and vice versa. Tax planning for property can be fraught with problems, particularly in relation to the all-important question of whether a property-based activity is trading or investment for tax purposes. The distinction is […]
Mark McLaughlin highlights a tax case in which HMRC challenged a loss relief claim in respect of a holiday villa. Property businesses that provide residential accommodation tend to be profitable in most cases. However, unfortunately, losses sometimes arise. For example, an individual may incur losses in the early years of […]
Here we look at the rules for claiming tax relief on expenses incurred before you first let a property. Landlords know that the easiest time to update a property is before it is first let. But, however necessary the work, will HMRC say it is capital expenditure that cannot be […]
Mark McLaughlin highlights a recent case in which an individual’s quality of occupation of a property was sufficient to secure private residence relief, despite having occupied it for short periods. Most individuals who dispose of their dwelling-house expect that any capital gain will be subject to private residence relief. Many […]
Mark McLaughlin looks at furnished holiday lettings in the context of inheritance tax business property relief. Business property relief (BPR) is a valuable inheritance tax (IHT) relief, which is available to business owners if certain conditions are satisfied. The relief applies to ‘relevant business property’, including a business or interest […]
Mark McLaughlin highlights a tax case in which HMRC estimated a taxpayer’s property rental business expenses in the absence of sufficient records. Keeping full and proper records of property rental business expenses is an important task for landlords. For example, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) could seek to disallow such […]
