With local authorities set to inflate council tax for second homes, now may be the time to consider your property’s future.

Occupy it!

• Now may be the right time for you to move in!
• Remember Private Residence Relief (PRR) applies from the date of occupation unless a PRR election has previously been made.

Sell

• Do not forget the new 60-day report and pay obligation when selling residential property.
• The Capital Gains Tax (tax-free) annual exemption is reducing to £6,000 for 2023/24 and to £3,000 for 2024/25.
• The current Capital Gains Tax rate for residential property is 18% where an individual’s income and capital gain fall below the higher rate tax threshold and 28% for any part of the gain exceeding this threshold.
• Personal pension contributions and gift aid donations can increase the higher rate tax threshold, the latter can also be carried back to a previous tax year.
• There are investments which can defer capital gains, discuss this with your IFA.

Long-term let

• Once you find a happy & financially solvent tenant, long-term lets can be relatively easy to manage.
• With the tenant covering the council tax, running costs and furnishing the property, the only unexpected costs should relate to repairs and maintenance of the building.
• If the property is mortgaged, only basic rate tax relief is permitted on the interest element.
• If you do provide furniture, furnishings, or household appliances tax relief for replacement assets are permitted under the Replacement Domestic Items Relief, but not for the cost of the original item.
• Replacing fixtures such as boilers, bathroom suites and fitted furniture does not fall under this restriction.
• EPC rating requirements are expected to be raised from E to C from April 2025.

Furnished Holiday Let (FHL)

• The key benefit may be that you can still use the property!
• Whilst the income is not guaranteed and can be sporadic, you are unlikely to go through the stresses of evicting non-paying tenants.
• Unless you are willing to pay for others to carry out the changeover, you may need to be relatively fit to ensure the property is ready following a short turnaround between guests.
• Utilities need to be factored into the rental charge, noting you will have little control over usage (a greater factor if let during winter months).
• Small business rate relief may be available resulting in no liability.
• As an FHL, wear and tear on furniture and furnishings can be high.
• Holiday management agencies can take the stress out of FHL ownership.
• Whilst those seeking to meet the small business rate rules in England, (being available for short term lets for at least 140 days and actually let for 70 days); to satisfy the tax based FHL test there is a higher threshold:
  – The furnished property must be available for commercial letting for at least 210 days during the tax year;
  – It must be actually let as such for at least 105 days; and
  – There must be no more than 155 days where the same person occupies the property for more than 31 days during a tax year.
• The mortgage interest restriction for higher rate residential property landlords does not apply to qualifying FHLs.
• VAT can come into play; the current turnover threshold is £85k (all business activities of an individual are aggregated for this test).
• Capital Allowances are permitted on furniture, furnishings and equipment within a property qualifying as an FHL.
• Remember to negotiate a fixtures value for a s198 election when buying an FHL.
• If you have no other earnings but wish to make personal pension contributions, profits from FHLs are treated as relevant earnings.
• FHLs open up capital tax based reliefs such as rollover relief, business asset disposal relief and gift relief.

Property ownership may not necessarily be in an individual’s name; partnerships, trusts and corporate owners all have their own considerations. If you are resident overseas, remember the non-resident landlord scheme applies to both FHLs and long-term lets in the UK.

Finally, with a further delay to MTD ITSA, landlords have a bit more breathing space before this new reporting regime is phased in from April 2026.