The Let Property Campaign provides landlords who have undeclared income from residential property lettings in the UK or abroad with an opportunity to regularise their affairs by disclosing any outstanding liabilities whether due to misunderstanding of the tax rules or due to deliberate tax evasion. Participation in the campaign is open to all residential property landlords with undisclosed taxes. The campaign is not suitable for those letting out non-residential properties.
Landlords who do not avail of the opportunity and are targeted by HMRC can face penalties of up to 100% of the tax due together with possible criminal prosecution. Taxpayers that come forward will benefit from better terms and lower penalties. Landlords that make an accurate voluntary disclosure are likely to face a maximum penalty of 0%, 10% or 20% depending on the circumstances of their disclosure. The penalties would be in addition to the tax and interest due. There are higher penalties for offshore liabilities.
There are three main stages to taking part in The Let Property Campaign:
- notifying HMRC that you wish to take part;
- preparing an actual disclosure; and
- making a formal offer together with payment.
The campaign is open to all individual landlords renting out residential property. This includes landlords with multiple properties and specialist landlords with student or workforce rentals. Once HMRC have been notified of the wish to take part in the campaign, landlords usually have 90 days to calculate and pay any tax owed.