Property carries some of the most valuable — and most easily missed — tax reliefs in the system, and some of the least forgiving deadlines. We act for landlords, property investors and families on the tax consequences of letting, buying, selling and passing on property, from a single flat to a portfolio.

Rental income and what you can deduct

Rent is taxed as income on the profit after allowable expenses: letting-agent and management fees, insurance, ground rent and service charges, repairs and maintenance, accountancy fees, and the cost of replacing furnishings in a let dwelling. Improvements are not deductible against rent — they are added to the cost of the property for capital gains tax instead — and the line between a repair and an improvement is where most of HMRC’s questions to landlords start.

Very small property income, up to £1,000 a year, can be covered by the property income allowance instead of claiming expenses, and letting a furnished room in your own home can be tax-free up to £7,500 a year under Rent a Room relief. The special regime for furnished holiday lettings was abolished from April 2025, so holiday lets are now taxed like other residential lettings.

Mortgage interest and the finance-cost restriction

Individual landlords can no longer deduct mortgage interest from residential rent. Instead they receive a tax credit at the basic rate, 20%, on their finance costs. For a higher-rate taxpayer with significant borrowing that means tax is paid on more than the real profit, and in some cases on a loss. Companies are not restricted in the same way, which is why the structure question below matters.

Selling: capital gains tax and the 60-day deadline

Gains on residential property are taxed at 18% or 24%, depending on your income, after the annual exempt amount. If you are UK resident and there is tax to pay on the sale of UK residential property, it has to be reported to HMRC and paid within 60 days of completion, through a separate UK property return — not left for the Self Assessment return. Non-residents must report every disposal of UK property within 60 days, even when no tax is due.

Private residence relief can remove the gain on a home you have lived in, including the final nine months of ownership, but periods when it was let or empty can reduce it. We calculate the gain, the reliefs and the deadline before completion, so the 60 days are not spent finding paperwork.

Buying: stamp duty and the higher rates

Stamp Duty Land Tax applies to purchases in England and Northern Ireland, with Land and Buildings Transaction Tax in Scotland and Land Transaction Tax in Wales. Buying an additional residential property — a buy-to-let, or a second home — attracts a surcharge on top of the normal rates, while first-time buyers pay less. Mixed-use and commercial purchases, linked transactions and purchases by companies each have their own rules.

Your own name or a limited company?

Holding property in a company allows finance costs to be deducted in full and taxes profits at corporation tax rates, but it taxes the money again when you take it out, borrowing is usually dearer, and moving property you already own into a company normally triggers capital gains tax and stamp duty. For a new purchase the sums often work; for a portfolio you already hold they often do not. We model both before you decide.

Making Tax Digital for landlords

From 6 April 2026, landlords and sole traders whose combined gross income from property and self-employment is over £50,000 a year must keep digital records and send HMRC quarterly updates through compatible software. The threshold falls to £30,000 from April 2027 and £20,000 from April 2028. We set up the records and file the updates for you.

VAT on property transactions

Property VAT is a common source of costly errors — the option to tax, zero-rating on new build, the reduced rate on conversions, the reverse charge in construction, and the treatment of mixed-use and commercial property. We advise before you transact, so the VAT position is right the first time.

Inheritance tax and property planning

For most families the largest asset is property, and that makes it central to inheritance-tax planning. We help you plan how property is held and passed on — using available reliefs, lifetime gifts and trusts where appropriate — to reduce the IHT exposure on your estate.

Property tax support across North London

Many of our property clients are landlords and families in Finchley, Barnet, Hendon, Golders Green, Muswell Hill and Southgate, from owners of a single flat let out after a move to investors with several houses in multiple occupation. We meet at our office on Regents Park Road in Finchley or work entirely online, and we work in English, Turkish, Persian and Italian.

Property tax rarely stands alone. The annual returns sit alongside your personal tax, a sale needs the 60-day capital gains return, and the way property is owned shapes both inheritance tax and what your executors will need to deal with. Our landlord, inheritance tax and estates work is done by the same team, so the advice on each fits together.

• Landlord accountant in London
• Property accountant in Barnet
• Inheritance tax planning
• Estates and wills
• Stamp duty calculator
• Property investment: buy to let