Watson Knipe Blog

Building a successful property portfolio is about much more than finding the right investment. Landlords and property investors face a wide range of decisions throughout their journey, from securing the right finance and choosing the most tax-efficient structure to managing tenants and ensuring properties continue to deliver a strong return.

For most businesses, landlords and property investors, strong financial control starts with good diary management. While tax and reporting obligations are familiar territory, missed deadlines still carry unnecessary cost, disruption and risk. Looking ahead to 2026, there are several key dates that business owners, finance teams and directors should have firmly on their radar.

For landlords and property investors, the structure of your property ownership can significantly impact tax, liability, and long-term returns. Increasingly, investors are opting to purchase and manage property through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), a limited liability company established specifically for holding property assets.

The rise in homeworking has transformed how tenants use rental properties, leading to increased wear on furnishings, carpets, and appliances. As a landlord, understanding how fair wear and tear is defined and how it affects what you can claim is essential for effectively managing your rental business and tax liabilities.

The Autumn Budget 2024 introduced significant changes to Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT), which is set to reshape the property market. SDLT is calculated on increasing portions of the property price, and the liability depends on several factors:

We work with many landlords and property investors and advise them on the financial aspects of their property portfolios. One question we are often asked is what the benefits of setting up a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) are as opposed to managing their properties through personal ownership.

It has been a while since we shared the advantages of using a comprehensive property finance platform if you are a landlord or property investor. We are continuing our partnership with Hammock and have many clients using this platform successfully.

Over the past few years, there have been many changes to tax relief on interest payments for buy-to-let properties. This has resulted in landlords and property investors looking for more tax-efficient ways to manage their property investments.

In April 2020 change in legislation meant that landlords could no longer deduct mortgage expenses from their rental income. This meant that they had to pay more tax than in previous years.

Rishi Sunak announced the Autumn Budget and Spending Review which covers many different areas from Personal Tax, Employment, Business Tax and Capital Taxes. We have pulled out two key areas that will be of interest to landlords and property investors.

We have supported landlords and property investors for many years. We know that managing finances and keeping track of income and expenditure can be difficult.

Many of you will have heard about the Government's plans for Making Tax Digital (MTD). We have written this article to explain what this will mean for landlords and property investors.

Over the past few years, there have been several changes to tax rules for residential landlords. This means that anyone investing in buy-to-let properties either for the first time or as they build their portfolio should take the time to understand the impact on their potential earnings from a rental property.

We have a lot of experience working with landlords helping them to keep in control of their tax obligations if they own one or more rental properties.

Here is a quick explanation of what Stamp Duty Land Tax is and the changes that were introduced in November 2017.  You must pay Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) if you buy a property or land over a certain price in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

There will be changes to the Private Residence Relief from April 2020. There has been a consultation underway for the past year and the draft Finance Bill published recently confirms that the changes will take place.

This year we have had quite a few changes to tax that have impacted individuals, businesses and landlords. We wanted to summarise a few fundamental changes coming up next year, which are worth noting.

There has been a real boost in the housing market over the past six months as a result of the stamp duty holiday. We wanted to explain how this works so that you can take advantage of it if you are looking for a new property either to live in or as a ‘buy-to-let’ investment.

Stamp Duty Holiday 2021

There is only a month left before the stamp duty break comes to an end on 31 March 2021. If you are in the process of buying property for your 'buy-to-let' portfolio, you will need to ensure that the paperwork is completed by this deadline. Conveyancing teams and surveyors are under a lot of pressure to get the process pushed through in such a short space of time.

Spring Budget Update 2021 for landlords

In March 2021 the Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the Spring Budget. We have summarised some of the key points that will be of interest to landlords and property investors.