Please see below the list of possible allowable expenses for landlords. Allowable expenses are things you need to spend money on in the day-to-day running of the property, like:
- letting agents’ fees
- legal fees for lets of a year or less, or for renewing a lease for less than 50 years
- accountants’ fees
- buildings and contents insurance
- interest on property loans
- maintenance and repairs to the property (but not improvements)
- utility bills, like gas, water and electricity
- rent, ground rent, service charges
- Council Tax
- services you pay for, like cleaning or gardening
- other direct costs of letting the property, like phone calls, stationery and advertising
Allowable expenses don’t include ‘capital expenditure’ – like buying a property or renovating it beyond repairs for wear and tear.
You may be able to claim tax relief on money spent on replacing a ‘domestic item’. This is called ‘replacement of domestic items relief’.
Domestic items include:
- beds
- sofas
- curtains
- carpets
- fridges
- crockery and cutlery
You must have only bought the domestic item for use by tenants in a residential property and the item you replaced must no longer be used in that property.