The Let Property Campaign gives you an opportunity to bring your tax affairs up to date if you’re an individual landlord letting out residential property in the UK or abroad and to get the best possible terms to pay the tax you owe.
If you owe tax on your letting income, you’ll need to tell HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) about the income you haven’t declared by making a voluntary disclosure.
To get the best possible terms, you must tell HMRC that you wish to take part by filling in a notification form or calling the Let Property Campaign helpline. You’ll then have three months to calculate and pay what you owe.
Who can do this?
You can report previously undisclosed taxes on rental income to HMRC under the Let Property Campaign if you’re an individual landlord renting out residential property. This includes you if you’re:
Renting out a single property
Renting out multiple properties
A specialist landlord, eg student or workforce rentals
Renting out a room in your main home for more than £4,250 a year or £2,125 a year if letting the property jointly, ie above the rent a room scheme threshold
Living abroad and renting out a property in the UK
Living in the UK and renting a property abroad
Renting out a holiday home even if you use it yourself
You can’t use this scheme to declare undisclosed income if you’re a company or a trust renting out residential property or if you’re renting out commercial property.
If you aren’t sure whether you need to disclose unpaid taxes under this campaign, you can speak to David White at Charterhouse to help you make the right decision about the action you need to take. You’ll answer a few simple questions and get guidance on what you need to do that is specific to your own circumstances.
There are many reasons why landlords may misunderstand the rules and so not pay the right amount of tax. Whether your errors were due to misunderstanding the rules or you deliberately avoided paying the right amount, you should notify HMRC now, rather than wait until they uncover the errors.
If you should disclose but choose not to
HMRC is targeting tax evasion by residential landlords. It’ll use information it has about property rental in the UK and abroad and other information it holds on taxpayers to identify people who might not have paid what they owe.
If you don’t make a voluntary disclosure now and HMRC finds out later, you could get higher penalties and face criminal prosecution.
By David White a Partner in Charterhouse, based in Beaconsfield
