Creating own property management company to save tax

Creating own property management company to save tax

10:44 AM, 8th February 2017, About 7 years ago 29

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I currently self manage my 15 buy to let properties in the Greater London region. I want to legitimately reduce my property income so was thinking of creating a property management company whereby I transfer 6% of the annual rent as a service fee to the property management company. I am happy to create monthly invoices etc to show this as being an arms length transaction. I do not need the money so am happy to leave it sitting in the property management company (or maybe withdraw c. £5k a year as dividends).open business

Have any of the other readers done something similar? My only concern is that HMRC may challenge this arrangement given I am only managing my own properties and not anyone else’s. I also make a lot more money from my full time employment income than I do from property income. Transferring property to my wife is not an option as she is in the same situation (multi property owner who makes more from employment than from property).

I would be open to suggestions

Azim


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As

11:40 AM, 20th October 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Mark Alexander at 20/10/2018 - 09:46Hi
Thank you for the reply. Yes the transfer of the beneficial interest into a company was a suggestion made by you later on and so I stand corrected on that. I also accept that the BICT is a process although would it be right that by undertaking that process that one is taking the beneficial interest away from the person and putting it in the name of the company amounts to a transfer to a third party, something that seems to be prohibited by the terms and conditions of my mortgage it would appear?
We (my wife and I) manage several properties legally held by me and one that is legally held by my mother. These are of course extremely tax inefficient, given we are both PAYE income earners. The one that belongs to my mother is the subject of a presumed resulting trust, and tax on that property is accounted on it by myself given the income generated, received and retained by me.
We would like to be able to grow our business and one way of doing this in a tax efficient way is to set up a company in which we could transfer existing properties into and subsequently purchase new properties within the company.

As

11:43 AM, 20th October 2018, About 6 years ago

Hi
Thank you for the reply. Yes the transfer of the beneficial interest into a company was a suggestion made by you later on and so I stand corrected on that. I also accept that the BICT is a process although would it be right that by undertaking that process that one is taking the beneficial interest away from the person and putting it in the name of the company amounts to a transfer to a third party, something that seems to be prohibited by the terms and conditions of my mortgage it would appear?
We (my wife and I) manage several properties legally held by me and one that is legally held by my mother. These are of course extremely tax inefficient, given we are both PAYE income earners. The one that belongs to my mother is the subject of a presumed resulting trust, and tax on that property is accounted on it by myself given the income generated, received and retained by me.

We would like to be able to grow our business and one way of doing this in a tax efficient way is to set up a company in which we could transfer existing properties into and subsequently purchase new properties within the company.

Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118

12:14 PM, 20th October 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by As at 20/10/2018 - 11:40
I have put in a request to our Hon. Legal Counsel (Mark smith at Cotswold Barristers) to respond

As

12:25 PM, 20th October 2018, About 6 years ago

Ok, thank you for your swift response and look forward to the response.

Mark Smith Head of Chambers Cotswold Barristers

8:57 AM, 21st October 2018, About 6 years ago

Most mortgage t&c are silent on dealings with beneficial interests. This is because the lenders' security attaches to the legal estate held at the Land Registry, and dealings with beneficial interests cannot override the lenders' absolute right to enforce the repayment of the loan by repossession etc.
Taxation on the other hand follows the beneficial interest not the legal ownership for obvious reasons-as you will know from the fact that you pay tax on the property held by your mother.

As

9:19 AM, 21st October 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Mark Smith (Barrister-At-Law) at 21/10/2018 - 08:57
Mark
Thank you very much for your swift response, which clarifies the position for me. I am therefore taking it that the terms and conditions I have posted above from my recent BTL remortgage are not capable of having an adverse impact on any steps I might take to 'split' the beneficial interest of the secured property from its legal ownership by the creation of a BICT for example. My fear was of course that in the case where I may find myself having defaulted on the repayment of the loan or its applicable interest, that the lender may be prevented from pursuing me (Of course I do not intentionally intend to default on it). My other 'fear' was that by the creation of a BICT structure that I do not find myself in the hands of HMRC whereby they may consider a BICT structure as an 'avoidance scheme'. I would like to think that a BICT structure is somewhat of a 'tax planning' step, rather than an avoidance scheme which HMRC may challenge.
Any settlement of those queries would enable to be more comfortable with the position.

Mark Smith Head of Chambers Cotswold Barristers

9:39 AM, 21st October 2018, About 6 years ago

1. All t&c are scrutinised before any BICT is incepted to ensure there is no breach.
2. We have incorporated over 100 businesses since 2015 by this strategy, and we know HMRC is comfortable with it.

As

10:33 AM, 21st October 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Mark Smith (Barrister-At-Law) at 21/10/2018 - 09:39
Mark
Thank you. One more question that springs to mind. In addition to checking the terms and conditions for setting up a BICT, what other additional services might I receive in setting up the trust deed to transfer the beneficial interest to a corporate structure were I to engage your services please?

Mark Smith Head of Chambers Cotswold Barristers

10:41 AM, 21st October 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by As at 21/10/2018 - 10:33
All of the necessary professional advice and services needed to ensure an orderly and compliant transfer to the newco. Please consult with Mark A first and then revert to me.

As

20:29 PM, 25th October 2018, About 6 years ago

Hi Mark Smith
I do have a further question, can I PM you please?

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