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Business property relief (BPR) is a valuable inheritance tax (IHT) relief for business owners, which is available where certain conditions are satisfied. 

The relief applies to ‘relevant business property’, including a business or interest in a business, and unquoted shares in a company. The BPR rate potentially applicable to those categories is 100% (although from 6 April 2026, the 100% relief currently available without any limit will only apply to the first £1m of assets, with a 50% rate applying above that limit). 

Mark McLaughlin looks at the inheritance tax business property relief status of furnished holiday accommodation.

Some jobs traditionally come with accommodation – the most traditional of all being those of farm workers, lockkeepers, and caretakers of blocks of flats. 

Jennifer Adams considers the tax implications of providing accommodation for a live-in carer.

The loss of tax breaks and increased rights for tenants have resulted in many landlords taking the decision to exit the market and to sell the buy-to-let or holiday home. 

Sarah Bradford outlines how to calculate the chargeable gain arising on the disposal of a residential property.

The recent case Akhtar v HMRC [2025] UKFTT 00395 (TC) covers how ownership relates to the taxation of property income and gains, and ‘unexplained bank receipts’.

Lee Sharpe looks at some key concepts of property taxation that are pivotal to HMRC enquiries.

Property partnerships seem popular these days – typically, as a stepping-stone to greater things. Regular readers will know that I have long criticised HMRC’s published position on whether a property partnership exists, as distinct from simply co-owned property. My argument is that HMRC has drawn up its guidance to set an unreasonably high threshold to ‘make the grade’ as a partnership.

Lee Sharpe looks at whether a joint property letting activity amounts to a partnership, and why it is relevant to landlords.  

Most people do not expect to have to pay capital gains tax (CGT) when they sell their home. Private residence relief (also known as main residence relief or principal private residence relief) normally applies in full when the property has been the taxpayer’s only or main residence throughout the whole period for which they have owned it.  

Sarah Bradford outlines the concept of a ‘main’ residence for capital gains tax purposes. 

The government (HMRC) has become increasingly worried about the volume of small and medium-sized enterprise research and development (R&D) tax credit payments where a company claims to have undertaken eligible R&D activity (and it is important to keep in mind that only certain types of R&D may qualify – there are a lot of criteria).

Lee Sharpe looks at tax aspects of modernising property and the risk of disallowance as improvements that constitute capital expenditure, losing income tax relief in the property business. 

Whether to buy commercial or residential property depends on various factors, not least the more beneficial tax system for commercial lets and whether an individual or a company is purchasing the property. The government wishes to encourage commercial lets and therefore permits a more generous tax regime than residential lettings. 

Jennifer Adams considers some important tax benefits of investing in commercial property.