Property Tax for UK landlords, developers & investors.

Why property tax needs a specialist, not a generalist

Property tax in the UK has become one of the most complex areas of personal and corporate tax. In the last decade alone, individual landlords have lost full mortgage interest relief (Section 24), faced the 5% SDLT additional dwelling surcharge, taken on 60-day CGT reporting, and seen the introduction of MTD ITSA from April 2026. Companies holding residential property face the 17% corporate SDLT rate, ATED returns, and the CGT regime on UK property gains that now applies to non-resident companies too.

None of this is new news to property professionals. What’s surprised many landlords is how often their accountant has missed it — or quietly defaulted to “we’ll figure it out at year-end” while the underlying position deteriorates. The cost of getting property tax wrong isn’t a £100 penalty; it’s tens of thousands of pounds of avoidable tax across a portfolio.

We built our property practice around the recognition that property tax deserves the same depth of attention as corporate tax. Every engagement is led by a Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA, the highest UK tax qualification), with the modelling, the analysis and the planning handled in-house — not outsourced to a third-party specialist after the event.

Who we work with on property tax

Our property clients fall into four broad groups, each with very different tax pressures:

What we actually do for property clients

Property tax work splits into three layers. Each one matters:

1. Modelling and structuring (the high-value tax planning work)

Most landlords’ tax position is set by structural decisions: should I hold this in my own name or through a company? Should I refinance and extract equity? Should I transfer to my spouse before sale? Should I dispose this year or next? We model these scenarios with real numbers — your numbers — and present a recommended path with the supporting tax calculations.

For larger portfolios, this also covers incorporation analysis (when does it stop being worth Section 24, and what does the SDLT cost look like?), partnership structuring (joint ventures, LLPs, family arrangements), and group structures (separating high-yield from high-growth properties for different tax outcomes).

2. Compliance done properly (the work most accountants under-deliver on)

Property tax compliance is full of small filings with hard deadlines that compound if missed. We handle:

• CGT 60-day reporting — submitted to HMRC within 60 days of completion, including all reliefs claimed (PRR, lettings relief, BADR where applicable)
• ATED returns — annual filing by 30 April for company-held residential property, including relief claims even where no charge is due
• NRLS registration — non-resident landlord scheme set-up to receive rent gross (no 20% withholding) where eligible
• Self Assessment property pages — including correct Section 24 calculation, allowable expenses, capital allowances on FHLs, and replacement-of-domestic-items relief
• Corporation tax returns for property limited companies, including the close investment-holding company rules
• SDLT calculations and mitigation — multiple dwellings relief (where it still applies), mixed-use relief, sub-sale relief, and SDLT15 returns

3. Strategic advisory (the work that compounds over years)

Property is rarely a one-off transaction; it’s a portfolio you build, hold and eventually exit. Our advisory work covers exit planning (CGT minimisation across multiple disposals, BADR availability where the property business qualifies, gift-and-hold-over options for family transfers), succession planning (IHT on UK property, family investment companies, the new April 2026 BPR cap implications), and refinancing strategy (the tax treatment of equity release, second-charge lending, and bridging finance).

Who this is for — and who it isn’t

We’re a boutique firm and we won’t be the right fit for every property situation. To save you a call, here’s our honest view:

If you’re a single-property landlord without complexity, our sister firm Fernside Accounting is set up specifically for that profile and will be a better commercial fit for you.

Real-world examples (anonymised)

Three engagements that illustrate what property tax work actually looks like in practice:

Higher-rate landlord, 12-property BTL portfolio. Section 24 was costing roughly £18,000 per year in additional tax. We modelled three options: stay as-is, partial incorporation of the four highest-yield properties, or full portfolio incorporation under Section 162 incorporation relief. The chosen path saved approximately £14,000 per year in ongoing tax — at an SDLT and professional fees cost recovered in under three years.

Property developer, refurbishment specialist. Client treating refurb-and-flip projects as capital gains, paying 24% CGT. Closer review of frequency, intent and project pattern showed HMRC would almost certainly classify the activity as trading. Restructured into a limited company (corporation tax at 19/25%), with corresponding savings on NIC and Section 24 (no longer applicable). Also recovered VAT on qualifying renovation work that hadn’t been claimed.

Family investment company holding £4.2m of London residential. ATED return filings were missed for two years (relief was available but unclaimed). HMRC penalty exposure approximately £4,000 plus interest. We made the disclosures, claimed the available reliefs going forward, and restructured the rental arrangement to ensure ongoing relief eligibility. Total ongoing ATED saving: £15,500 per year.

Frequently asked questions