ATO on property investments

The ATO has reminded taxpayers in a property business or thinking about investing in property that there are things they should know, such as:

•  hey need a clearance certificate from the supplier when buying property over $750,000;
• they may have to pay the GST on the sale of brand new residential property separately to the ATO; and
• income from property activities could increase their total business turnover.

The ATO says taxpayers with property should keep accurate and complete records where they:

•  rent it out as a residential property (even short-term through the sharing economy);
• flip houses; and/or
• build a new house to sell for a profit.

In addition, when it’s time to lodge, taxpayers should remember:

• Some expenses need to be claimed over time.
• It is only possible to claim expenses for:

–    periods when the property is genuinely available for rent; and

–    travel related to renting property, if the taxpayer is in the business of letting properties.