Capital Allowance Review Service continue to support the Legal sector with the changes to legislation effecting commercial property transactions and Property Embedded Capital Allowances.
We were invited by Knights solicitors in Newcastle under Lyme to explain in more detail as they understood the importance of getting this right.
“The presentation was really useful thank you. It was pitched perfectly and at the right level. It is great to know that we can raise a general enquiry with you guys for a steer on the likely value of CA’s etc at the outset of a matter. I think that will be really useful to the team.”
Tony Earl, Senior Associate
What the New Rules Mean
If the 2012 Fixed Value Requirement or the 2014 Pooling Requirements are not met, then the Buyer and any future owners will never be able to claim Capital Allowances on those fixtures.
For the business owner, this means an immediate and irrevocable loss of an important tax benefit and, for some types of commercial property, a reduction in future sales value.
For a Property Adviser, the complexity of the new rules raises the prospect of their advice being called into question, potentially exposing their professional indemnity insurance.
The message is clear for both groups:
- If you, or your Clients, are contemplating the purchase or sale of commercial property then it’s essential to get the best advice you can on capital allowances.
- If you, or your Clients, have bought or sold a commercial property since April 2014 then we would encourage you to revisit transactions.
Matt Sullivan, Head of Business Development,The Law Society, added:
“It’s only a matter of months before a seismic shift takes place in the commercial property market, but too few parties have made anywhere near the necessary preparations. Lawyers, especially, need to be fully up-to-speed with their obligations under the new regime, as failure to do so could cost their clients sizeable amounts in lost tax relief.”
Many businesses are missing tax allowances and your Clients could be among those who risk losing this benefit. It is estimated that the majority of owners of commercial properties haven’t claimed because the dormant tax benefit in embedded fixtures is often overlooked. In addition, changes in the Finance Act from April 2014 also mean that tax allowances for commercial building fixtures could be lost to a new Buyer and all future owners.
You may not have heard about this property relief because it requires a specialist Surveyor and tax expert to review your Client’s buildings and books.
When a property changes hands there was previously no requirement for Sellers and Purchasers to agree a single disposal/acquisition value for “Property Embedded Fixtures and Features” (PEFFs) within the overall sales price. What’s more, there was no time limit on when, if ever, PEFFs are highlighted however, this has now changed for transactions post April 2014.
It is important to understand how these changes have affected entitlement to Capital Allowances for PEFFs.
If you would like us to explain what the changes mean, what actions are required and how we support property advisors, please get in touch.
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Our expert team are here to help answer any of your capital allowances questions or enquires you have about your commercial property.