Tax changes for investment property came into force on 1 April this year, forcing many existing investors to review the ownership structures for their investments and the viability of retaining their properties. In a nutshell, the effect of the changes is that investors will no longer be able to claim depreciation on their buildings, and fewer investors will be able to claim losses against personal income. The backdrop to these changes is a depressed property market with little prospect of significant increases in property prices for some time to come. The question many are now asking is whether investing in property is still a good idea.
One of the most prevalent mistakes made by investors in all types of investment assets is to base investment decisions on tax benefits. As they say, ‘there are only two certainties in life: death and taxes’. To that should be added a third certainty, and that is, ‘tax rules change’. Sound investments are those that stack up in their own right, rather than because they have tax benefits. Many investors made the mistake of purchasing properties in the expectation that future capital gain would offset losses and that the tax benefits would help their cash flow in the short term. This was not a sound long term strategy. The impact of the new legislation is that those investments which were soundly based will continue to be so, and those which relied on the benefits of tax losses are unlikely to stack up.
Investors without good cash flow will no doubt sell off properties over the next two years. The result is likely to be higher rents, fewer investors (but with deeper pockets) and more soundly based investment portfolios. In the long term, the increased stability will be a good thing for both landlords and tenants.
