In the current economic crisis, if you are thinking about how you can improve your household income, you may wish to consider a furnished holiday let (FHL).

With people choosing to holiday in the UK, holiday accommodation is in short supply so how about renting out part of your own home?

With the popularity of Airbnb there are good opportunities out there to market your rental accommodation and create an additional income stream. If you rent out furnished accommodation in your only or main residence you can earn gross rents of up to £7,500 per year tax-free through the rent-a-room scheme. This can include a trade such as a bed and breakfast business ran from your own home. If your home is temporarily divided into two or more residential units so that you continue living in one part and renting the second part out then it may be possible to claim rent-a-room however there are various factors that HMRC will consider in deciding if the division is temporary.

For separate rental properties that do not qualify under the rent-a-room scheme, consider running it as a furnished holiday let (FHL). Provided the rental meets certain conditions there will be some tax advantages over the standard letting of a property.

Broadly, FHLs qualify if the tenants are entitled to use the furniture and:

  1. The accommodation is available for commercial letting to the public generally as holiday accommodation for at least 210 days in the tax year;
  2. The accommodation is commercially let as holiday accommodation for at least 105 days in the tax year; and
  3. During the tax year, the same tenant must not use the property for more than 31 days, if the property is let to the same tenant for more than 31 days but less than 155 days, these days will not count for point 2 above.  If let for more than 155 days to the same tenant, the property will no longer qualify as a FHL.

FHLs do not suffer from the restriction of loan interest for residential lettings that was introduced from April 2017. The profits are qualifying earnings for the purposes of making pension contributions. In addition, any capital gains arising from disposals of FHLs may qualify for Rollover Relief, Holdover Relief on gifts or a reduction in the Capital Gains Tax rate from 28% to 10% by claiming Business Asset Disposal Relief.

The provision of a FHL is within the scope of VAT. Therefore, if the income from the FHL exceeds the VAT threshold the owner must register for VAT. Care should be taken if the sole owner of the FHL is also self-employed and making taxable supplies. In this case, the turnover from the sole-trade and the FHL must be taken into account in determining whether the VAT threshold has been breached.

For help and advice with your furnished holiday let, contact us by email or on 01295 250401 or watch our webinar on the tax implications of holiday accommodation.