x
By using this website, you agree to our use of cookies to enhance your experience.
award
award award
award award

OTHER GUIDES & TIPS

Property Taxes - Landlords urged to tell government

The long Jubilee Weekend celebration may be almost upon us but landlords are being urged respond to a major property tax consultation.

The Office for Tax Simplification - an  independent advisory service to the government on simplifying the UK tax system - has issued a call for evidence, with rental property a key element.

Landlords are being urged by a major industry figure to respond despite the busy-ness of the week ahead.

Advertisement

“As a PropTech provider we are seeking to engage with government at all levels to show how technology can help enhance trust and transparency in the private rented sector” says Neil Cobbold, managing director of automated payment service PayProp UK. 

“In talking to representatives from the OTS, it’s clear to us that they welcome the input of letting agents and landlords as well as third parties on making property taxation more transparent.

“This is a valuable opportunity for … the wider industry to help clarify and further develop tax rules, and we would encourage any letting agent to fully contribute to the consultation.”

Cobbold says some aspects of the different tax regimes and deductibles for the different forms of rental properties can be a challenge for landlords and micro-companies that own property – and even professional tax advisers and letting agencies.

The OTS call for evidence - asking the sector to suggest improvements and efficiencies to the current property tax regime - could be a way to improve that complexity.

The OTS can then, as part of its remit, compile feedback from landlords, advisors and property professionals to put forward recommendations and advice to the Chancellor regarding how to make the UK tax system simpler for the property industry.

The review will consider, amongst other things, the way that property income fits into income tax; the different rules that apply to residential lettings and other forms of lettings; income from property overseas; as well as reliefs and exemptions.

Landlords are encouraged to submit their views via the survey on the consultation page of the OTS review of property income – while letting agents, PropTech providers and professional tax advisers can respond to the call for evidence via e-mail (ots@ots.gov.uk). 

The call for evidence and survey will run until this coming Sunday, June 5, with findings expected to be published in the  autumn.

Want to comment on this story? If so...if any post is considered to victimise, harass, degrade or intimidate an individual or group of individuals on any basis, then the post may be deleted and the individual immediately banned from posting in future.

Join the conversation

  • icon

    The OTS has a track record of simplifying things by recommending reductions in the amount of tax reliefs that are available. They are not there to make things easier for us - they are there to increase tax revenues.

  • icon

    Exactly Steve it’s not tax Simplification, it’s tax Complication to further damage Landlords, there you are Consultation done.

  • icon

    I suggest landlords complete the survey. "Would you find it helpful to complete your tax return quarterly?" Are you insane? of course not, so that is a big fat NO.

    Would it be better if letting agents and the like submitted data direct to HMRC? How does that simplify things? NO.

    Are you prepared for 2024 when tax goes digital? No, maybe you should tell me how to prepare.

    Do you wish to make any comments on property taxation? Extra stamp duty, treatment of mortgage interest, if quarterly taxation comes in and specialist software will be required costs will be passed on until my tenants are evicted and I exit the rental market.

  • icon

    There seems to be a lack of basic landlord specific MTD software at present.
    How can we be ready if the tools aren't fully developed?
    I just want something simple that does the HMRC required stuff initially.
    It may be useful eventually to add on bits that plan my life once I've got the hang of the basics.
    Then again it may not be. It's something I want a choice on.
    So far I haven't seen anything landlord specific that would cover a mix of ownership of properties. Or unequal percentage ownership. Some of our houses are owned individually by either me or my husband, some jointly by both of us, some are family owned by us and our son. Some are owned 50/50, others 80/20 or 67/22/11 or 25/25/50 or 40/40/20.

    Once something is set up I'm sure I will be fine with inputting the required data. It's finding an appropriate package and setting it up that I'm finding daunting.

    icon

    I find the whole thing daunting, I do my accounts the old way, the only way I know, pen and paper, then off they go to my accountant who checks them and then submits the figures to HMRC on my behalf, and it works just fine as it is, my accounts for 21/22 are in, been submitted to HMRC and agreed, all before the end of May, so what's wrong with that ? ''if it ain't broken don't fix it''.

     
    icon

    I just use a series of spreadsheets that then merge all the results for each. All our properties are 50/50 so just half the numbers before going onto the tax form, but you could split on the spreadsheets. Each property has a sheet recording all transactions and numbers put in the appropriate column so they are already split to suit the tax form. I don't need any landlord specific software that I will have to pay for. If the government want everything done on software they should provide it.

    We are probably going the way of Portugal. There all our utility bills and rental income is uploaded direct to the revenue from the utility companies and letting agents, I guess this is so that they can check against tax submissions.

     
    icon

    I hate paying " professional" fees and use a simple spreadsheet and then the HMRC self assessment system.

    The only professional fees worth paying ( in my opinion) were those I used to charge - and, joking aside, I think I saved most clients more than I charged them.

     
  • George Dawes

    Property tax , the next step in destroying the middle and working class along with the epc garbage

    Nice to know your government hates you isn’t it ?

icon

Please login to comment

MovePal MovePal MovePal
sign up