Landlords explore major portfolio changes ahead of Autumn Budget
Heightened speculation surrounding property taxation ahead of the upcoming Autumn Budget has prompted UK landlords to actively evaluate their long-term portfolio strategies, according to new research from CIA Landlords.
Analysis of Google Trends data reveals a surge in property owners seeking information across multiple operational paths ahead of potential financial changes.
Searches for “transfer property to limited company” and “property SPV” (Special Purpose Vehicle) both increased by over 5,000% in the past month, compared with the preceding month, while searches for “buy to let limited company” were up more than 5,000% on the same period last year.
Interest in tax and selling also climbed over the same period. Searches for “landlord tax change” recorded a breakout rise of more than 5,000%, as did “sell buy to let” and “selling rental property”. Taken together, the data suggests landlords are considering a range of options, from restructuring how they own their properties to scaling back.
These search trends reflect exploration rather than confirmed decisions or transactions. But whichever route landlords are considering, changes to ownership can affect how a property needs to be insured, and CIA Landlords is encouraging property owners to check their cover before making any major moves.
Ensuring protection after incorporation
Transferring a property into a Limited Company or SPV changes who legally owns it, and therefore who needs to be insured. A policy taken out in a landlord’s personal name will no longer be valid once the title deed has been transferred.
Therefore, landlords will need to take out a new policy, issued under their new registered company name to remain compliant.
Landlords with more than one property should also check that each one is covered under the right policy and the right name, particularly if only some of their portfolio is being moved.
Navigating the void period during potential sales
Selling remains an option that some landlords are considering, and with the average time to sell a home sitting at 5 months landlords need to be aware of any potential void periods and ensure they’re properly protected.
Most standard landlord insurance policies contain specific unoccupancy terms. If a property remains empty for more than a set period of time – often 30 to 60 consecutive days – owners may require specialist unoccupied property cover. Otherwise, they could find themselves unprotected against risks such as escape of water, fire, or accidental damage.
Terms vary between insurers, so it’s worth checking the policy wording or speaking to your insurer early.
Nick Long, managing director of CIA Landlords, comments: “Our research shows that speculation before the Autumn Budget is driving property owners to look at their portfolios and evaluate their options. What’s important to understand is that if a landlord moves a property into a limited company or SPV, it’s usually the company, not the landlord personally that will need to be named on the insurance policy. To avoid coming into complications down the line, it is better to have this arranged with your insurance broker or insurer before the transfer than to find out afterwards that something has been missed.”
“This also applies to properties that are between tenants or are on the market. Landlord insurance policies typically have conditions around how long a property can be empty, so it’s important to check the wording of the policy. Whether a landlord decides to move a property into a limited company or sell up, they should speak to qualified financial advisor and their insurance broker or insurer to ensure that they are covered.”