Last year, important changes to tax deductions for property investors were announced. For some investors, the changes may have a significant impact on the annual deductions you can claim on your rental properties. Your mortgage broker, can keep you up to date. Here’s what you need to know about the changes when doing your tax this year.

Travel expense deduction scrapped

As of July 1, 2017, property investors can no longer claim a tax deduction for travel to maintain, inspect or collect rent for their rental property. Likewise, you can no longer claim travel expenses for preparing the property for new tenants, or for visiting a real estate agent to discuss your property.

Investors who own property interstate will probably be the most affected by this change. If these changes do affect you, perhaps consider employing a property manager to perform some of these tasks for you, as their costs are usually still tax deductible. Talk to your accountant to find out more.

Depreciation deductions tightened

Depreciation is the decline in value of an asset with a limited life expectancy. Depreciating assets include carpets, furniture and appliances like water heaters and cookers (also known as plant and equipment).

Residential property investors can now only claim depreciation deductions for plant and equipment expenses if they purchased them. Previously, investors could claim plant and equipment depreciation on assets that were installed by a previous owner.

This “integrity measure”, introduced in last year’s Budget, was intended to prevent multiple property owners from depreciating the same assets, exceeding their actual value. The changes apply to second-hand plant and equipment acquired after last year’s Budget night (May 9, 2017). You also can’t claim a deduction for plant and equipment installed on or after July 1, 2017 if you have ever used it for private purposes.

If you owned or entered into a contract to buy your investment property before May 9, 2017, you will not be affected by these changes. You can continue to claim deductions for the decline in value of depreciating plant and equipment assets that were in the rental property before that date, as per before the new legislation was introduced.

Further reading

You can find more information about the expenses you can claim for residential rental properties on the ATO website, available here. You’ll find details about expenses that are deductible immediately, such as management, maintenance and interest; and expenses that are deductible over several years, such as capital works and borrowing costs.

Your tax time checklist

Here are some tips to prepare for tax time:

• Update your Depreciation Schedule. You can find a Guide to depreciating assets 2018 here. If you’re confused, seek advice from your accountant. If it’s a new property investment, you may need to have a quantity surveyor prepare a Depreciation Schedule report.
• Understand what you can claim (refer to the ATO website for clarification).
• Get your documents together and organise your receipts.
• Tally up your deductions. It’s a good idea to create a spreadsheet with all your income and expenses listed. That way, you can save on accounting fees (rather than giving them a shoe box of receipts to go through).
• Book in with your accountant (they are flat out at tax time, so the sooner the better).

Your mortgage broker, will be happy to work with your accountant or financial planner on your investment property finance. Good luck with your tax, and if you need assistance get in touch with your mortgage broker today.