NRLA wants Holiday Lets to be hammered the same way as BTL?

NRLA wants Holiday Lets to be hammered the same way as BTL?

9:02 AM, 5th February 2021, About 3 years ago 55

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NRLA Clarification:

“Calling for long term-rental property to be taxed more favourably than short-term holiday lets is clearly not the same as saying they should be taxed the same. After all how could you favour one over the other if they were taxed the same?”

“A clear example is the proposal the NRLA put out in its press release- whilst the stamp duty levy would apply to the provision of new homes to rent adding to the overall supply of housing, it would continue to apply to those investing in new holiday lets. The NRLA also believes that the Chancellor should look at the way the sector is taxed in the round to ensure it has an advantage over short term holiday lets given the pressing need for long term rental properties. As Ben notes in his quote it is the impact of tax policies as a whole that are causing such supply problems. “

The NRLA press release says it: “Wants to ensure the tax system encourages the provision of longer-term rental property over short-term holiday lets. From April this year, the final phase of reducing mortgage interest relief for landlords to the basic rate of income tax will be completed. This measure does not apply though to furnished holiday lets. This has encouraged the removal of properties from the long-term market for use as short-term holiday lets.”

Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association comments:

“To be taxing long term homes to rent less favourably than holiday lets is simply bizarre. It completely undermines efforts by the Government to encourage the provision of long term, secure housing.

“It is time for the Government to realise that its tax policies have created a shortage of rented housing. This can only mean higher rents and reduced choice for renters. This is not going to do much for the levelling up agenda.”

The National Residential Landlords Association is also calling on the Chancellor to scrap the 3% stamp duty levy on the purchase of homes to rent where landlords invest in properties that add to the net supply of housing. This would include developing new housing, converting large properties into affordable units, changing the use of a property from commercial to residential or bringing one of the almost 650,000 empty homes in England back into use.

This comes as the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has concluded that rents will rise because of demand for properties increasing, whilst new instructions from landlords continue to “dwindle.”

Property website, Rightmove revealed that outside London asking rents increased in the fourth quarter for 2020 for the first time since 2011, leading to a record average of £972 a month. It warns that in the suburbs, towns and villages, available housing is lower than normal for this time of year, whilst demand is higher.

Ben Beadle said:

“To have a tax on developing new housing is completely nonsensical at a time when more is needed. Supporting growth in the private rental market, alongside all other housing types, would provide a significant boost to the economy in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Research published last year suggests that landlords inject over £3.5 billion into local businesses across the UK.”


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Comments

Luke P

13:35 PM, 6th February 2021, About 3 years ago

Reply to the comment left by LANDLORD 35 at 06/02/2021 - 09:29
Yet there is nothing to stop a tenant abusing the very one-sided Scottish standardised tenancy by taking, say, a £500pcm property on and giving 28-days notice the very next day (knowing full-well they only wanted it very short-term).

Wouldn’t work if they just wanted a single night’s stay, but if you compare to a hotel room for, say, 5 nights at £100/night, you may as well take the BTL house option…you have the place for a whole month that way! The tenant could even sub-let the remaining time on Airbnb themselves…what’s the LL gonna do? Kick them out?

DP

20:46 PM, 10th February 2021, About 3 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Mark Alexander at 05/02/2021 - 10:03
Funny you should raise that point I was just thinking the same having read Ben Beadles article. As a NLA and RLA member for several years, now the NRLA , I am dismayed to read this, but I have been wondering for some time whose side they are now on. As for plotting Hmmm. We need people who understand the whole of the rental business and that includes holiday and commercial lettings ie diversity, How narrow minded of an organisation that is supposed to stand up for us all. good grief what next !!!

DP

21:04 PM, 10th February 2021, About 3 years ago

Reply to the comment left by at 05/02/2021 - 10:47
Re NRLA's direction, yes and I bought one of the courses this week only to discover that I knew more about it than the course lecturer and following my intervention he had to rewrite the course notes and re-distribute them, I wasn't offered any reduction though. Re Holiday Lets most of the holiday cottages in the part of the world where I live were standing empty for most of last year owing to Covid and shortage of cleaners who could'nt cope with the increased demand for more stringent cleaning required when they could re-open. Its a different thing and much more hands on and is currently treated like a business by HMRC , which it is. Hands off NRLA, think I am going to review my subscription if this carries on.

DP

21:28 PM, 10th February 2021, About 3 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Seething Landlord at 05/02/2021 - 12:39
Yep, but I am just about to sign up a mortgage at 1.79% fxd for 5 years, is this level of finance available from the lenders if you form into a company. Not found it yet. Interest rates very low so why should the same property be more expensive to finance in a company.

DP

21:39 PM, 10th February 2021, About 3 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Mark Alexander at 05/02/2021 - 12:09
yes, probably thanks to Property 118, keep going !
I once mentioned to someone at the NRLA that Property 118 seemed to be more in tune with what Landlords were thinking and doing and received the reply that the NRLA has to be more restrained in order to keep the governments ear. Oh right well Ben Beadle's latest remarks are not very reassuring are they?

DP

22:11 PM, 10th February 2021, About 3 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Carol at 05/02/2021 - 14:20
Hear, hear

DP

22:23 PM, 10th February 2021, About 3 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Mark Shine at 06/02/2021 - 00:54
but,but but . . . depends where the government set their level of fairness doesn't it we've been protesting now for 5 years about Section 24 and not a response yet.

Chris @ Possession Friend

22:48 PM, 10th February 2021, About 3 years ago

Reply to the comment left by DP at 10/02/2021 - 22:23
I think ALL Landlords know Exactly what the Government's ' Idea ' of fairness is ! and not though we needed any reminding, but have been by the pandemic's suspension of possession proceedings.

DP

9:58 AM, 11th February 2021, About 3 years ago

at the end of the ramifications it boils down I think to this.
How is it right to tax a BTL property business or operation (how ever you want to view it) on a false profit under Section 24 and a false gain when you sell it. False because it takes no account of inflation during the time period since you purchased it. Somebody . . . . . . ?

Di

14:19 PM, 16th February 2021, About 3 years ago

Been a hands-on landlord offering long term residential lets for 20+ years and a member of the NRLA /NLA for most of them but, over the last few years, noticed that whenever the Government said 'Jump' the association's response appears to have been 'How high?' After suffering from a steady onslaught of legislation and taxation the provision of long term lets had lost it's appeal for me now as tenants have all the protection and the providers are simply treated as HMRC cash cows. Quite frankly I'd rather have an empty property than a tenant I want to get rid of but can't. I've considered switching to holiday lets - good money and much better taxwise but know it would mean being even more hands-on so I'm selling up despite the grossly unfair CGT hit. May claw some tax back with an EIS but whatever happens I know my life will be more or less easier. More time to do what I want and more capital available to me. Less hassle, tenant call-outs, property maintenance, cleaning up after others, gardening, accounts to keep... this less list could go on and on....

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