Landlord

Landlord Tax

Rental profit, the mortgage interest restriction, and what happens when you sell.

9 lessons About 57 minutes By Laura Michelle Davis ✓ Reviewed by TaxFly Admin Figures for 2026/27
Property is taxed differently from a trade, and the differences are not intuitive. This course builds your rental profit properly, explains why mortgage interest stopped being an expense and what that does to real numbers, covers joint ownership, and takes you through both stages of selling including the 60-day deadline that catches experienced landlords.

By the end of this course you will be able to

  • Work out rental profit correctly, including what counts as income
  • Tell the difference between a repair and a capital improvement
  • Understand the mortgage interest restriction and who it hurts
  • Split income correctly on jointly owned property
  • Report a property sale within the 60-day deadline

What you will cover

Module 1

Rental income and what you can deduct

What counts as income, what comes off it, and the reliefs most landlords miss.

Property is taxed differently from a trade, and the differences are not intuitive. Rent is not turnover, mortgage interest is not an expense, and the two £1,000 allowances that sound identical do different jobs. Landlords who apply sole-trader logic to a rental usually get it wrong in the same three places.

This module builds the rental profit figure properly, then covers the two reliefs that are most often left unclaimed.

  1. 1.1 What counts as rental income Lesson · 6 min · includes a calculator
  2. 1.2 Allowable expenses for landlords Lesson · 7 min · includes a calculator
  3. 1.3 Rent a Room relief Lesson · 5 min · includes a calculator
Module 2

The mortgage interest problem

Why interest stopped being an expense, and what replaced it.

The change to mortgage interest relief is the single most consequential thing that has happened to residential landlords in the last decade, and it is still routinely misunderstood. Interest is no longer deducted from rental income. Instead a basic rate credit is applied to the tax bill.

For a basic-rate taxpayer the outcome is roughly the same. For a higher-rate taxpayer it is significantly worse, and it can push people into higher rate bands they did not expect to reach. These two lessons explain the mechanism and then show what it does to real numbers.

  1. 2.1 Why mortgage interest is not an expense any more Lesson · 7 min · includes a calculator
  2. 2.2 The finance credit in practice Workshop · 7 min · includes a calculator
Module 3

Reporting and selling

Getting it on the return, sharing ownership, and the 60-day trap when you sell.

The last module covers the mechanics: putting the property pages on your return, how jointly owned property is split, and what happens when you sell. That final part contains the single most expensive deadline in landlord taxation, and it is one that did not exist a few years ago, so plenty of experienced landlords have never met it.

  1. 3.1 Reporting rental profit on your return Workshop · 6 min · includes a calculator
  2. 3.2 Jointly owned property Your situation · 6 min
  3. 3.3 Capital Gains Tax when you sell Lesson · 7 min · includes a calculator
  4. 3.4 The 60-day reporting deadline Checkpoint · 6 min · includes a calculator

Finish with the exam

10 questions covering the whole course. Score 80% or more and you get a certificate of completion. You can retake it as many times as you like.

The exam needs a free account, so we can save your result. The lessons themselves never do.

Go to the exam

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