Get your breaks

By Liz Phillips for MailOnline
Updated: 00:00 BST, 18 October 2002

?

PROPERTY has become the last 港／避難所 of 投資家s as the buy-to-let market 攻撃する，衝突するs nearly £19bn in 貸付金s. But while people are 収入 handsome 利益（をあげる）s, they might not be making the most of their 税金 breaks.

You can legitimately 相殺する a number of expenses against the income from the rent on a flat or a holiday home to red uce your 税金 法案.

All 合法的 維持費s can be deducted from the 賃貸しの income. These 含む 利益／興味 支払い（額）s on the mortgage; the cost of 修理s and general 維持／整備; ground rent; 管理／経営 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金s for 維持／整備, 保険 and the letting スパイ／執行官's 料金.

You have a choice of either （人命などを）奪う，主張するing an allowance of 10% of the rent to cover wear and 涙／ほころび, or you can （人命などを）奪う，主張する the cost of buying the furniture. You cannot 相殺する the cost of 改良s, nor the 返済 element of the mortgage, against 税金.

David Gibbs of 税金 助言者s 認める Thornton says: 'Most landlords choose an interestonly mortgage and rely on the value of the 所有物／資産／財産 going up to cover the 返済 element when they come to sell.'

Married couples where one does not work can その上の 減ずる the 税金 on the 賃貸しの income by putting the 所有物／資産／財産 in 共同の 指名するs. The 非，不，無-working spouse will not 支払う／賃金 税金 on the first £4,615, which is the personal allowance. The next £1,920 of income is 税金d at 10%, while その後の 量s, up to a total of £34,514, are 税金d at 22%.

Putting it in 共同の 指名するs also helps 減ずる the 資本／首都 伸び（る）s 税金 (CGT) 法案 when it comes to selling. Each person can make £7,700 before having to 支払う／賃金 CGT. The 残り／休憩（する） is 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金d at 40% if you are a higher 率 税金 payer and at 20% up to £29,900 for those on the lower 率.

The 量 of 税金 you 支払う／賃金 減ずるs if you have owned the 所有物／資産／財産 for at least three years. You can knock 5% off the 利益（をあげる） for each その後の year up to ten years. So someone selling after ten years can 減ずる the 量 made by 40% before calculating their CGT.

People with two homes can choose which is their main 住居, but they have to be able to 証明する which home they lived in if challenged by the Inland 歳入.

You have to live there and have your 法案s 演説（する）／住所d there at least for a few months.

This 許すs you to 割引 the last three years of 所有権 from the 資本／首都 伸び（る）.

'This is the area the Inland 歳入 is most likely to challenge,' says Mr Gibbs. 'It is something that is more likely to 適用する where you are letting out your own home, rather than a buy-to-let you have never lived in. It's no good moving in for the last couple of months before selling to try to （人命などを）奪う，主張する three years of 税金 救済. The 歳入 will find you out.'

? TEACHER Melanie Clapton, 40, and her husband Brian, a butcher, from Basildon in Essex, bought a two-bedroom flat last year at Tudor Gardens in Chafford Hundred.

The Claptons (pictured with their dog Jez) bought it off-計画（する） before it was built for £94,995 and the developer Barratt paid their 5% deposit as an incentive to 買い手s, so it cost them just under £90,000. They put 負かす／撃墜する 10% cash and have an 利益／興味-only buytolet mortgage on the 残り／休憩（する）.

Melanie says:'We decided to use the money Brian 普通は puts into his 年金 計画（する）, and some of our 貯金 to 支払う／賃金 for the flat. We thought we'd get a better return on our money this way.

'Our 計画（する） is that we will 結局 move overseas, but we would like to keep a base in this country, so the flat will do two 職業s.' It took their スパイ／執行官 two weeks to find a tenant in January and they get £625 a month in rent, which covers the mortgage.

'We've opened a separate bank account for everything to do with the flat. The rent, mortgage 支払い（額）s and expenses all go through that account so it is 平易な to see what is happening.

'Then we'll send all that off to Brian's accountant to sort out. The 税金 will be 分裂（する） between us because the flat is in both our 指名するs.'