The Self-Assessment Tax Return Deadline is in
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Set up by HMRC many years ago, the Let Property Campaign is a long-running disclosure opportunity aimed at residential property landlords who need to bring their tax affairs up to date. It allows individuals to disclose undeclared income from previous tax years. In exchange, HMRC will limit the penalties that could be imposed if they were to “discover” you.
If you have not declared your rental income you should urgently come forward and do so. Otherwise, the penalties could be crippling and serious.
When you buy a property you create a record at Land Registry. Then there is a footprint with letting agents, local authorities for council tax, mortgage applications and utility companies. And of course tip-offs. HMRC’s sophisticated Connect system has the ability to analyse the data and flag taxpayers who do not appear to have paid the correct amount of tax. This powerful tool enables HMRC to frequently write to taxpayers and invite them to use the Let Property Campaign to bring their affairs up to date.
HMRC is not secretive about their data sources and you can see what they say about some of the ways they obtain information here.
HMRC is under constant pressure to collect more tax. Indeed, it has been widely publicised that for every £1 spent by HMRC in chasing undeclared income, they get back £5. Is it any wonder that HMRC has been given wider powers. Together with substantially more funding, there is a greater emphasis to pursue taxpayers with undeclared income.
HMRC targets compliance activity where they will get the most return and, as we know, landlords are an easy target. Once they have the information they need they will write to landlords who they consider may not have declared all their rental income.
This will then involve HMRC carrying out compliance checks or enquiries to resolve matters. You will not then be able to make use of the opportunity offered as part of the Let Property Campaign.
It is therefore vital that you make a request to use the Let Property Campaign before HMRC gets in touch with you. Voluntary disclosure is strongly recommended to reduce penalties and resolve matters before they get out of hand. It may also help to convince HMRC that it was simply a mistake or careless error rather than something more serious. It can also help in reducing the number of years to include in the voluntary disclosure.
As property tax specialists we have handled numerous cases for clients successfully. We often reduce the penalty to a small percentage you might otherwise have paid.
If you’re worried about approaching HMRC and need to speak to someone get in touch. We are on your side and can guide you through to a successful conclusion contact us on 0800 907 8633, via tax@fixedfeetr.com or via our online contact form.
If you found this article informative then why not read our closely related article on non-resident capital gains tax or our guide to budget tax rise targeting landlords?
Thandi Nicholls Ltd
Creative Industries Centre
Glaisher Drive
Wolverhampton
West Midlands
WV10 9TG
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