Can Using a property company save tax for landlords

Can using a property company save tax for landlords?

Generally the answer is usually, yes!

The focus of this piece is to look at the pros and cons of using a property company to save tax – for any new properties that you are buying. (Moving an existing property portfolio into a company structure is different, can be more challenging, and there are other issues to consider. Other blogs we have posted have looked at that rather different situation).

The main plus of being in a property company is that the restriction on interest relief to the basic rate of tax that applies to individuals who hold properties outside a company structure, does not apply within company structures.

As well as getting full tax relief for loan interest and costs, companies can set these costs off against any income or capital gain in the previous year, the year in which they were sustained and even for future years.

So, the big down sides of holding property outside a company structure is that you can only set off interest at the basic rate and you can also only set it off against rental income, not against capital gains and only in the current year.

But there are other advantages of a company structure as well.

A big advantage is that the rate of corporation tax is lower than even the basic rate of income tax. Corporation tax is just 17% from April 2020, (it is 19% now).

Can using a property company save tax for landlords? Some Downsides

Are there any downsides to buying and holding property in a company structure?

Well, for basic rate taxpayers, and looking at income tax rates only, the pluses are limited – as you are only paying 20% tax anyway, so not much difference compared to the corporate rate, and there is less form filling and reporting requirements that a company set up entails.

But here is the problem: Many landlords and property investors who are basic rate taxpayers at present will likely become higher rate taxpayers faster in the future if they don’t use a company.

So, if you are sure you’ll forever be a basic rate taxpayer, then maybe don’t bother. But if you think you might become a higher rate taxpayer in future (either because you will earn more and/ or your property portfolio does well), then a company structure is probably the better bet for you.

But what about the downsides of a company structure?

In a company structure, more tax costs do come up when trying to get funds out (“extracting them” in the jargon) from the company set up. Those on the higher tax rate will pay tax at the rate of 32.5% on any dividends taken out, which take you over the £2,000 limit.

Selling off the portfolio of properties in the company and winding up the company will lead to still more tax. The company will have to pay 17% on any capital gains. Individuals who own the company will also have to pay 20% on the proceeds arising when the company is wound up. Taken together, these two taxes are clearly more than the higher rate of capital gains tax that individuals have to pay, which is 28%. (The rate for basic rate taxpayers holding residential property outside a company structure is 18%).

Another major downside is that the interest rate on company landlord mortgages are always higher. For example, for a 25% deposit company mortgage in Jan 2020, The Mortgage Works are charging 3.34%, compared to only 1.94% for an identical individual buy to let mortgage. (Both have the same fee of £1995). In addition, the legal work for the conveyancing in the case of the company will also be more involved and cost more, due to having to run more legal checks – e.g. Director status and other checks. This could negate a lot of, if not all, the tax savings (Thanks to A Taylor for feedback on this).

Can using a property company save tax for landlords? Downsides of company structure are limited

But most experts think that despite these disadvantages, the fact that folks can deduct interest costs in full and hence reinvest more of their profit and gains within a company, over a long time frame means that they will be able to build up a bigger portfolio. It is this feature that trumps those higher overall tax rates that apply when the company is finally wound up.

Also, where a company owner sells a property, he or she could opt to not extract it, but instead just hold the profit in the company and invest those profits in other sorts of investments, such as shares or bonds – basically building their own portfolio, just like you might have with an ISA or pension.

Until a year ago, property investors in buy to let could cut their capital gains tax bill by carefully selecting properties as their own principal private residence before sale. But changes, which are proposed to apply from April 2020, have effectively wiped out this type of relief (which came from the interaction of Principal Private Residence and Letting Relief).

Sure, individuals who are outside a company structure, still get £12,00 of annual exemption from capital gains tax, but that will be small compensation for many, especially for those whose gains from any disposal will stick them right into the higher rate 28% CGT tax bracket. But do watch out for those niggling, potentially higher mortgage costs as these might negate any savings you make.

ABOUT LETTINGFOCUS

Services for Private Landlords

We help landlords and property investors by showing them how to make money in the private rented sector using ways which are fair to tenants and which involve minimal risk. Our advice is completely independent. We take don’t commission payments or fees from anyone, ever.

Services to Businesses and the Public Sector

We advise a range of organisations too to help them develop and improve their services and products for private landlords. David Lawrenson, founder of LettingFocus, also writes for property portals, speaks at property events and is regularly quoted by the media.

HOME PAGE OF THIS BLOG: Blog

THE HOME PAGE OF THE MAIN SITE: http://www.LettingFocus.com

For general information on our CONSULTING SERVICES: Consultancy and Seminars

For ONE TO ONE PRIVATE CONSULTANCY FOR PRIVATE LANDLORDS: Property Advice

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS – from both organisations and private landlords: Testimonials

IN THE MEDIA: Recent Press Coverage

BOOKS:

“SUCCESSFUL PROPERTY LETTING”:

Our book is the highest selling personal finance and property book in the UK. Click here to Find Out More and Buy it. And if you are from an organisation and would like to bulk buy, please ask us for special rates.

“BUY TO LET LANDLORDS GUIDE TO FINDING GREAT TENANTS”:

Also, get this great new guide here, which covers everything you’ll ever need to know to avoid either you or your letting agent getting anyone other than the perfect tenant. Click Here to Buy It.

BOOK FOR TENANTS:

Kids going off and renting for the first time? My Book for Tenants is also Available

TO JOIN OUR FREE NEWSLETTER MAILER which goes to over 3,990 people (as at Jan 2019) just send an email to [email protected]

We do not send spam or sell our mailing list to advertisers, though we occasionally mail landlords about good products from third parties. Please put us on your “white list” to ensure you receive our emails.

OFFERS ON PRODUCTS FOR LANDLORDS and TO ADVERTISE YOUR PRODUCTS to LANDLORDS: Landlords Resources

PERUSE LAST TEN BLOGS BY GETTING THE RSS FEED: Click Here

NEXT ANNUAL SEMINAR EVENT FOR LANDLORDS: Landlord and Property Letting Seminar

TWITTER PAGE My thoughts on property, personal finance, plus a lot of other random things: Twitter 

Copyright of Blog: David Lawrenson 2019. Please link to us here or quote us. We actively pursue copyright infringements.

One comment

  • Good to know that using a property company can save tax for landlords. As a landlord myself, this is fantastic news for me, and I am going to implement this technique in all my rental properties now.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.