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So, you want to buy a buy-to-let property. In most cases, this means that you’ll have to file a tax return on the income that you get from renting it out – but what does it mean if you buy the property jointly with someone else?
It’s a common question, and one you should know the answer to if you’re looking to invest.
Keep reading for the ins and outs of how tax works for joint property owners.
If you live in the property you own and you only rent out a room or space within the house, you’re covered by the Rent-a-Room scheme. It lets you earn up to £7,500 tax-free rental income per year.
Depending on where you live in the UK, this can be a big money saver.
You can use the Rent-a-Room scheme if you’re:
Be aware though that the Rent-a-Room scheme applies to you both jointly, so your allowance as joint owners is £3,750 each per year.
For any rent that exceeds the £7,500, you’ll both need to do a Self Assessment and pay tax on the excess – but more on this later.
If you’re landlords who don’t live in your property, i.e. if it’s purely a buy-to-let, you won’t be covered by the Rent-a-Room scheme. You’ll therefore both have to do a separate tax return and pay tax separately on your rental income.
However, there are three allowances that you can use to reduce the amount that you pay:
First of all, what is mortgage interest? Basically, if you take out a loan to buy a property (a.k.a a mortgage), the mortgage interest is what you’re charged on top of the loan amount for the property – and this builds over time.
When you buy a buy-to-let property, you can claim back 20% of the mortgage interest you pay each year. And this will be split between you and your co-owner.
If, however, your overall income (including employment on top of your property business) is more than £50,270, you may not benefit. You can calculate what you’ll owe with our Rental Income Calculator.
Your total rental income tax that you have to pay to HMRC depends on three things:
In your case you earned £18,000 from renting out a buy to let property, on top of £38,000 from other sources.
Your rental earnings are £18,000
You can claim £1,000 as a tax-free property allowance.
As a result, your taxable rental income will be: £17,000
The first £12,270 will be taxed at 20%: £2,454 in rental income tax.
The next £4,730 will be taxed at 40%: £1,892 in rental income tax.
So your total tax bill ends up at £4,346
You need to save
to pay your £4,346.00 tax bill by 31/1/2026 which is in 666 days
You should use this only if your yearly expenses are low. The Property Income Allowance lets you claim a flat rate of £1,000 from your rental income, but you can’t claim it in addition to any expenses.
Your yearly spend on your rental property can be deducted from your income when you calculate your tax bill. The kinds of things that you can deduct are:
If you jointly buy a house, flat, maisonette, studio or any other residential property that you find, both you and your co-owner will have to do a tax return separately.
Here’s how:
The amount that you pay is based on your overall income. For the 2024/25 tax year, the rates are here:
| Income | Tax rate | |
| Up to £12,570 | 0% | Personal allowance |
| £12,571 to £50,270 | 20% | Basic rate |
| £50,271 to £125,140 | 40% | Higher rate |
| over £125,141 | 45% | Additional rate |
Unless you’re married/in a civil partnership, your share of the rental profits will be based on the percentage of the property that you own.
If you and your co-owner own the property 70/30 or 40/60, for instance, the tax that you owe will be calculated according to the split.
But if you own your property with your spouse, HMRC will assume that the income is split evenly between you. It is possible to change this with a Declaration of Trust, but be aware that there’s a cost attached.
Otherwise, it might be worth looking into using the Marriage Allowance which is a handy resource if one of you is a low-earner and the other earns less that £50,270 per year.
Click here to read about the Marriage Allowance.
Don’t panic. We can help. We offer one-off, personal tax advice from an accredited accountant. Book a phone or video call to get your head around joint property ownership and what to do next. Learn more here.
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