Government Responds to Landlord Petition

We previously reported about the parliamentary petition seeking that landlords be allowed to set the total amount of mortgage interest against rental income before tax is calculated.

When a petition reaches 10,000 signatures, the government will respond, and they have now responded similarly to a previous petition.

The government has responded, which is copied below in full:

The Government will continue to set mortgage interest relief against rental income at the basic rate of tax. The Government has a responsibility to make sure the income tax system is fair.

The Government recognises that the private rented sector plays an important role in the UK housing market and economy. However, the Government also has a responsibility to make sure that the income tax system is fair. Under the old system, residential landlords got relief on their finance costs (including mortgage interest payments) at their marginal rate of income tax, which meant that higher-rate taxpayers got a more generous tax relief than those on lower incomes.

To address this and make sure that all residential landlords are treated the same by the income tax system, the Government phased in a set of reforms to restrict finance cost relief to the equivalent of the basic rate of income tax. The reforms mean that all residential landlords will now receive the same amount of relief. It also reduces the disparity in income tax treatment between homeowners and landlords.

To minimise the impact on landlords who are affected, the Government chose to act in a proportionate and gradual way. It announced this change almost two years before its implementation. The restriction, introduced in April 2017, was phased in over four years to give landlords time to adjust to the changes.

To be clear, these reforms do not mean that tax relief on mortgage interest has been abolished. Landlords are still able to claim an income tax reduction equivalent to basic rate tax relief on the finance costs of their rental property. Residential landlords also continue to be able to claim relief at their marginal rate of income tax on the day-to-day costs incurred in letting out a property, such as letting agent fees and replacing furniture.

The Government understands that people, including those who rent property, are worried about the cost of living challenges ahead. That’s why decisive action has been taken to support households across the UK whilst remaining fiscally responsible.