In July the Government confirmed its plans to change the way that Capital Gains Tax (CGT) is calculated for properties that are part or fully let. Currently HMRC excludes the last 18 months of your ownership, even if the property is let in this time, when calculating Capital Gains Tax due. From April 2020 this period will reduce to nine months (the exemption excludes disabled property owners or those in care which remains at the present 36-month period).
In addition, currently you can claim letting relief as an extra deduction from any CGT payable as a result of letting your home. You can claim the lowest of the following three amounts:
From April 2020, you will only be able to claim this letting relief if you are in shared occupancy with the tenant.
If you let part or all of your property and are considering selling it, you may be better doing so before April 2020 to minimise any CGT payable by benefiting from the 18 month exemption and the more flexible lettings relief.
To find out more about this article please contact us.
Historically, the Christmas and New Year holidays see record visits to sites such as Rightmove and Zoopla, with over 1.6m properties viewed online as people escape the Christmas turkey to think about their next move.
Understandably, many people are reluctant to sell or let their property until after the New Year. But, if you are thinking of moving, selling or letting a property in January, can you afford not to put your property in front of potential buyers at this important time of year?
Even if your property is listed with an agent, you don't have to conduct viewings, if you don't want to. The likelihood is that potential buyers or tenants would prefer to wait until the New Year anyway. Instead, get your property listed, so you're ready to take action as soon as the holiday season is over.
Here's what we recommend:
If you are thinking of selling or letting before or just after Christmas, planning ahead will ensure you get a head start in the New Year, will ensure your property is in front of potential buyers over the Christmas break and still enables you to enjoy family time without disruption. Voila!
Get in touch today, if you'd like to arrange a free market appraisal of your property.