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Over sixty years of experience working at the heart of the London lettings market has taught us that no two landlords are alike and that your requirements will vary according to the size and complexity of your portfolio.
Experienced
At Benham and Reeves we have carefully tailored our services in order to provide the best possible guidance and assistance. We specialise in London property rentals and corporate lets and our dedicated lettings staff focus all of their energies on finding the best tenant for your property. We will also ensure we set the right market rental and do our best to help you achieve the best possible return.
Connected
We have London-wide branches open Monday to Saturday and international offices providing the same convenient property service in China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia and Singapore. Our staff offer exceptional knowledge of the London property investment market and a personalised service, fully tailored to your needs.
Maintaining a high profile in the London property market through rigorous marketing activities, we attract a constant flow of corporate and professional tenants. We also have a network of high traffic websites, dedicated to attracting applicants, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You’ll also benefit from highly professional accounts and management teams, dedicated to the smooth running of all transactions involving your property.
So, whether you’re learning the ropes, growing your portfolio or are already an established landlord, our sixty years' experience and informed resources will ensure that you prosper in London’s growing rentals market.
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Higher rate tax relief phased out July 2020
- Landlords News
- 25.07.20
- Vidhur Mehra
Higher rate tax relief for buy-to-let landlords now completely phased out Higher rate tax relief on finance costs (such as mortgage interest) for landlords who own residential (buy-to-let) properties has now been completely phased out. Tax relief for landlords who are higher rate tax payers has been gradually phased out over the last three years and from April 6th 2020 is now restricted to the basic rate of tax – currently 20%. Therefore, landlords can no longer deduct all their finance costs from their rental property income before they calculate their profit. Instead, they can now only receive a basic rate reduction from their income tax liability for their finance costs. This affects landlords who let residential properties as an individual, changing how they receive relief for interest and other finance costs. It does not apply to companies. Neither does it affect owners of furnished holiday lets. Higher rate taxpayers will be affected Clearly, this changes how tax is paid for higher rate taxpayers. From April 6th 2020, all finance costs, including loan interest, is no longer an allowable expense when calculating rental profit. Instead, taxpayers receive a basic rate (20%) tax deduction after the rental profit has been taxed of up to 20% of the finance cost which includes loan interest, fees and legal costs and valuation fees. Some investors will not be affected International investors who do not earn any other income in the UK will be mostly unaffected. Only investors that have a large portfolio of rental properties which brings their UK income into the higher rate tax bracket will fall into this category. Typically, they will need a portfolio of at least three or four rental properties to generate this level of income but of course they will need to consult their accountant to calculate this figure exactly, depending on their portfolio. Neither does the move affect investors who own their rental properties within a company structure. Instead these investors pay Corporation Tax which is currently 19%. For more information on setting up a company to own buy-to-let properties, visit our blog where we discuss the pros and cons of such a move. Clearly, property owners who do not have a loan or mortgage will not be affected. Buy-to-let investors who will need to take specialist advice Those who are affected include investors with larger portfolios which put them into the higher rate tax bracket. Also affected are investors who have income from employment which takes their total income over the threshold to be a higher rate taxpayer. If this is the case, they will lose the previous higher rate tax relief on their finance costs. They will continue to receive full tax relief on other costs. If you are currently a basic rate taxpayer, this change in the way that the tax on rental income is calculated may push you into the higher rate tax bracket and you will find that your total income tax bill will increase. Tax Relief explained
| NO CHANGE | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2019 - 2020 Tax Year | 2020 - 2021 Tax Year | |
| Estimated gross annual rental income | 25,000.00 | 25,000.00 |
| Expenses | 10,000.00 | 10,000.00 |
| Loan interest Expense (Assuming interest of £3,000. 25% is allowable as an expense in 2019/2020) | 750.00 | - |
| Estimated net rental income | 14,250.00 | 15,000.00 |
| Annual Income Tax (20%) | 2,850.00 | 3,000.00 |
| Interest Relief (Assuming interest of £3,000) | 450.00 | 600.00 |
| Adjusted Income Tax Relief | 2,400.00 | 2,400.00 |
| CHANGE | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2019 - 2020 Tax Year | 2020 - 2021 Tax Year | |
| Estimated gross annual rental income | 62,000.00 | 62,000.00 |
| Expenses | 22,000.00 | 22,000.00 |
| Loan interest Expense (Assuming interest of £10,000. 25% is allowable as an expense in 2019/2020) | 2,500.00 | - |
| Estimated net rental income | 37,500.00 | 40,000.00 |
| Annual Income Tax (20%) | 7,500.00 | 7,500.00 |
| Annual Income Tax (40%) | - | 1,000.00 |
| Total income Tax | 7,500.00 | 8,500.00 |
| Interest Relief (Assuming interest of £10,000) | 1,500.00 | 2,000.00 |
| Adjusted Income Tax Relief | 6,000.00 | 6,500.00 |
FAQs – new landlords
Our rigorous marketing activities at branch level and online, attract a constant flow of prospective tenants. These include high traffic websites dedicated to finding you the right tenant 24 hours a day; extensive Google product marketing; listing and advertising on major UK property portals including Rightmove, Primelocation and Zoopla and using social media.
As renting is a way of life now, most tenants are long-term renters who pay rent on time and look after their accommodation. These tend to be corporate and working professionals who have good budgets and like convenience. Attracting these types of tenant should be your priority.
Our Finance Director is a chartered accountant and oversees our Accounts Centre which provides a range of services to landlords including rent collection. Our strategy for managing rent payments works well mainly because our reference process is extremely thorough at the outset.
Benham and Reeves are founder members of ARLA Propertymark (the Association of Residential Letting Agents); members of The Property Ombudsman for Lettings and the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. Compliance is important to us and we thoroughly support agent accountability within the property sector.
Most of the properties we let are also professionally managed by us so you can be sure that if there's a problem, we will respond promptly to resolve any issues. More information can be found in our Property Management section.
All of our branch managers understand what motivates investors and are very knowledgeable about the local markets they operate in. If you need more in-depth investment advice or tax guidance for overseas investors, our Directors who are investors themselves, can also help.