ATO watching holiday home tax returns
The Australian Tax Office is targeting the 1.8 million people who own an investment property, Mark Chapman director of Tax Communications at H&R Block says.
"The latest ATO figures reveal that investment property owners claim on average $25,717 in deductions covering interest on loans, the write-off on capital works and other items.
"In more than two-thirds of cases, that's enough to produce a net loss which taxpayers are then offsetting against their other income.
"Given that the amounts at stake are increasing every year, it's not surprising the ATO is worrying about the loss of revenue," he said.
"Whether it's a commercial property, a city pad rented out long term or a holiday retreat for family, friends and holidaymakers, the ATO has signalled a big push to check that people aren't over-claiming tax deductions.
"At the forefront of the campaign, the ATO has recently stated that it will be writing to property investors who own properties in popular holiday areas to remind them to claim only the deductions to which they are entitled.
He said rental property owners should only claim for the periods the property is rented out or is genuinely available for rent.
"This is particularly important for holiday homes, where the ATO regularly finds evidence of home-owners claiming deductions for their holiday pad on the grounds that it is being rented out, when in reality the only people using it are the owners, their family and friends, often rent-free."
"Also, the costs to repair damage and defects existing at the time of purchase or the costs of renovation cannot be claimed immediately.
"Instead, these costs are deductible over a number of years. Expect to see the ATO checking such claims and pushing back against claims which do not stack up.
"The ATO is concerned that husbands and wives are in some cases splitting income and deductions so the bulk of the tax benefit goes to the higher-earning spouse, even though the property is actually owned 50:50."
He said the ATO now has access to numerous sources of third party data, including popular rental listing sites for both long term and holiday rentals, so it is relatively easy for them to establish if a claim that a property was "available for rent" is correct."