July Questions and Answers

Newsletter issue - July 2015.

Q. I personally own a number of buy-to-let residential properties. My son will attend a new school from September and it would be convenient for the family to live in one of those let properties. Can the cost of repairs made to that property while we are living there be claimed as expenses against the rental income from the whole property portfolio?

A. Any expenditure on repairing the property will be incurred for the benefit of you and your family while you live there, so it can't be deducted from the profits of your property letting business. Even if the property is let out again after your family has moved out, the repairs done while the family were there have a non-business purpose. It would be better to do the repairs while the property is occupied by a tenant or after your family has moved out.

Q. My company runs a record label specialising in club music. We used to produce the music on CDs, but now almost everyone buys music as a download or via a streaming service. I have a large number of CDs in stock which I am unlikely to ever sell. How should I value that stock in my accounts?

A. The acceptable method of valuing stock is: "the lower of cost and net realisable value". As you think it is unlikely that the stock will be sold, it has a nil realisable value, so you can value it at nil in your accounts.

Q. I am the director of my own company, which has kindly purchased new spectacles for me for £269. These include lenses specially formatted for the design work I do on screen. Do I need to include the cost of the glasses on the form P11D for the year?

A. As you need the glasses for your work using a computer the company can pay for the cost, and there is no taxable benefit for you.

What our clients say about us...

  • "Paul has provided accountancy services to my company for 2 years now. I can recommend Paul very highly; his skills as an accountant are highly detailed and professional and he is always available to provide advice. One aspect of the way Paul works that I greatly appreciate is a preference to meet face to face when there is a detailed conversation to be had. I personally find this more productive and is a benefit of working with a small accountancy firm that you wouldn't get with the large faceless providers."

    ALISTAIR FAIRWEATHER - PROGRAMME & PROJECT MANAGER, DELIVERING/RESCUING I.T. 7 BUSINESS CHANGE WITH BUDGETS UPTO £50M INC SUPPIER MANAGEMENT

  • "I couldn't ask for more from Paul as an Accountant. Paul has been accountant to Work Relief Charity Recruitment for just over a year now and is proving an invaluable asset. Accurate, knowledgeable, flexible with an emphasis on service delivery, I would recommend Paul's services to any organisation looking for an accounts professional."

    Neil Price - Managing Director at Work Relief Charity Recruitment

  • "Paul was a referral from a family member when I started my business 2 years ago. As this was the first time I had ever run my own company I was totally clueless over the financial side of matters and was worried that I may have made mistakes in any of my accounting. I needn't have worried as after enaging Paul for a set monthly fee he was always there on the end of the phone for all sorts of questions I had and no matter how trivial they were Paul gave me all the information I required and more and did an excellent and painless job at the end of my first year! Couldn't ask for any better to be honest. Just two words - hire him!!!"

    Lee Westrap MBCS - Director - Bulldog IT Services

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Booth & Co  |   The Hermitage  |   15a Shenfield Road  |   Brentwood  |   Essex  |   CM15 8AG        Telephone: 01277 224666    |   Email: info@boothandco.co.uk