Getting investment property right (2024)

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This article was first published in the October 2019 UK edition of Accounting and Business magazine.

The accounting treatment of investment property under FRS102, The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland, is notably different from the approach of old UK GAAP, and some aspects are open to interpretation.

The FRS 102 glossary defines investment property as: ‘Property (land or a building, or part of a building, or both) held by the owner or by the lessee under a finance lease to earn rentals or for capital appreciation or both, rather than for: (a) use in the production or supply of goods or services or for administrative purposes, or (b) sale in the ordinary course of business.’

Therefore, if a business has a property that generates rental income, that property will meet the definition of investment property and it will be accounted for under section 16 of FRS 102. Also, keep in mind that the definition refers to ‘land or a building, or part of a building, or both’, which means that properties in the course of construction or being developed for future use as investment property comes within its scope. Land held for long-term capital appreciation also meets the definition.

Preparers of reports should be aware that the correct distinction between investment property and owner-occupied property is crucial because the accounting treatments for investment property (section 16 of the standard) and property, plant and equipment (section 17) are significantly different.

Measurement

When a property meets the definition of investment property, it is initially recognised at cost: the purchase price plus all directly attributable costs (which may include legal fees, stamp duty and brokerage fees). If payment is deferred beyond normal credit terms, the initial cost of the investment property is the present value of all future payments.

Paragraph 16.6 of FRS 102 states that the initial cost of a property interest held under a lease and classified as an investment property is accounted for as a finance lease even if the lease would be classified as an operating lease if it fell within the scope of section20, on leases. The asset is therefore recognised at the lower of the fair value of the property and the present value of the minimum lease payments with a corresponding finance lease creditor. Any premium paid is treated as part of the minimum lease payments; it is therefore included in the cost of the asset but excluded from the liability.

When it comes to measurement, a clear understanding of the rules is needed. Section 16 of FRS 102 uses the fair value accounting rules in company law to measure investment property. This means that all fair value gains and losses must pass through the profit and loss account. Unless the entity is a micro-entity reporting under FRS105, The Financial Reporting Standard applicable to the Micro-entities Regime, investment property is not depreciated but remeasured to fair value at each reporting date. There is an accounting policy choice in FRS 102 (March 2018) for intra-group investment property – see paragraphs 16.4A and 16.4B.

The fair value gain is taken through profit and loss (not directly to a revaluation reserve, as was the case under old UK GAAP). While FRS 102 does not recognise the concept of operating profit, most entities are continuing to present an operating profit line, so such gains are included within operating profit (eg as cost of sales, administrative expenses or as a separate line item if sufficiently material).

Deferred tax

Paragraph 29.16 of FRS 102 requires deferred tax to be brought into account for investment properties using the tax rates and allowances that will apply to the sale of the asset.

Using the measurement example provided in the box on the facing page, if it is assumed that the company has no plans to sell the asset for the foreseeable future, then deferred tax is calculated using the tax rates and laws that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the balance sheet date. The company can therefore use a rate of 17%, as this will be the corporation tax rate starting on 1 April 2020 (indexation allowance may also be available depending on when the asset was purchased, although this has been ignored for the purposes of the measurement example).

So, using the example in the box, deferred tax on the £50,000 gain is £8,500 (£50,000 x 17%) and is recorded as follows:

  • Dr Tax expense (P&L) £8,500
  • Cr Deferred tax provision £8,500

This is the deferred tax on investment property fair value gain at 17%.

Non-distributable profit

It must be emphasised that fair value gains on investment property are non-distributable profits because they are not realised gains. A company could therefore choose to transfer a portion of its profit and loss reserves equal to the net cumulative fair value gain for presentation purposes to a separate reserve (eg a ‘non-distributablereserve’).

The company does not have to do this because it is not a requirement of company law, but it is an efficient means of separating distributable profits from non-distributable profits to avoid the latter being inappropriately distributed.

These are some of the confusing areas of FRS 102 where investment property is concerned that appear to have been causing problems for preparers. In all cases, it is advisable to have a sound understanding of the detailed aspects of FRS 102 so that the accounting treatments can be correctly applied and a true and fair view presented in the financial statements.

Steve Collings FCCA is a partner at Leavitt Walmsley Associates.

Getting investment property right (2024)

FAQs

Getting investment property right? ›

What Is The 1% Rule In Real Estate? The 1% rule of real estate investing measures the price of the investment property against the gross income it will generate. For a potential investment to pass the 1% rule, its monthly rent must be equal to or no less than 1% of the purchase price.

What is the 1 rule for investment property? ›

What Is The 1% Rule In Real Estate? The 1% rule of real estate investing measures the price of the investment property against the gross income it will generate. For a potential investment to pass the 1% rule, its monthly rent must be equal to or no less than 1% of the purchase price.

What is the 2 rule for investment property? ›

The 2% rule is a rule of thumb that determines how much rental income a property should theoretically be able to generate. Following the 2% rule, an investor can expect to realize a positive cash flow from a rental property if the monthly rent is at least 2% of the purchase price.

What is the 4 3 2 1 rule in real estate? ›

4-3-2-1 rule

The front quarter of the standard site receives 40% of the total value. The second quarter receives 30% of the total value. The third quarter receives 20% of the total value; and the rear quarter receives just 10% of the total value.

How much profit should I make on a rental property? ›

The amount will depend on your specific situation, but a good rule of thumb is to aim for at least 10% profit after all expenses and taxes. While 10% is a good target, you may be able to make more depending on the property and the rental market.

What is the 50% rule in real estate investing? ›

Like many rules of real estate investing, the 50 percent rule isn't always accurate, but it can be a helpful way to estimate expenses for rental property. To use it, an investor takes the property's gross rent and multiplies it by 50 percent, providing the estimated monthly operating expenses. That sounds easy, right?

What is the 80% investment rule? ›

The 80/20 rule can be effectively used to guard against risk when individuals put 80% of their money into safer investments, like savings bonds and CDs, and the remaining 20% into riskier growth stocks.

What is the 70% rule in real estate investing? ›

The 70% rule can help flippers when they're scouring real estate listings for potential investment opportunities. Basically, the rule says real estate investors should pay no more than 70% of a property's after-repair value (ARV) minus the cost of the repairs necessary to renovate the home.

What is the 10% rule for investment property? ›

No More Than 10 Percent Down Payment

Say, for example, that you purchased a property for $150,000. Following the rule, you put $15,000 (10 percent) forward as a down payment. Think of that 10 percent as all the skin you have in the game. The bank took care of the rest, and you'll cover that debt when you sell the home.

What is the 3% rule in real estate? ›

Rule No. 3: The price of your home should be no more than 3x your annual gross income. This is a quick way to screen for homes in an affordable price range. It also takes into consideration down payment percentages and prevents you from stretching too much, even with a high down payment.

What is the 0.8 rule in real estate? ›

This general guideline suggests that you charge around 1% (or within 0.8-1.1%) of your property's total market value as monthly rent payments. A property valued at $200,000, for instance, would rent for $2,000 a month, or within a range of $1,600-$2,200.

What is the 2% rule for mortgages? ›

The 2% rule states that you should aim for a 2% lower interest rate in order to ensure that the savings generated by your new loan will offset the cost refinancing, provided you've lived in your home for two years and plan to stay for at least two more.

Can you live off of rental income? ›

Effectively managing and maximizing cash flow for your investment properties will allow you to live off the rental property income. Several factors can impact your ability to maintain a positive cash flow. You'll need to show your rental property in the best light possible to attract high-quality residents.

What is a good monthly return on rental property? ›

Now that you know how to calculate your cash on cash return, you are probably wondering “what is a good rate of return on rental property on a mortgage financed rental property?” Investors consider anything between 8% and 12% a good rate of return on rental property that is financed by a mortgage.

What's a good return on a rental property? ›

A good ROI for a rental property is typically more than 10%, but 5%–10% can also be acceptable. But the ROI may be lower in the first year, due to the upfront costs of buying a home. A fixer-upper may offer more upfront savings as their average list price is 25% lower than turnkey homes.

Is 5k enough to invest in real estate? ›

Despite the common misconception that you need a lot of financial capital to begin investing in real estate, you can start with as little as $5,000. Your chances of success can increase if you diversify your investments — especially should some deals not go as planned!

How to invest $50,000 dollars in real estate? ›

These options include crowdfunding real estate equity and debt, buying a house, flipping a home, and purchasing shares of a REIT.
  1. Crowdfunding Real Estate Debt. ...
  2. Buy Your Own Home. ...
  3. Rental Properties. ...
  4. Flipping Houses. ...
  5. Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) ...
  6. Real Estate Syndication. ...
  7. Crowdfunding Real Estate Equity. ...
  8. Pay Off Your Debt.
Dec 22, 2022

Can you invest in real estate with 500k? ›

Another way to invest $500,000 is to invest in real estate. And with this amount of capital, you have plenty of options for adding real estate to your portfolio like: Purchasing a rental property and becoming a landlord. Investing in real estate investment trusts (REITs) to earn dividend income.

What is 4% rule in investment? ›

What is the 4% rule for retirement? The 4% rule states that you should be able to comfortably live off of 4% of your money in investments in your first year of retirement, then slightly increase or decrease that amount to account for inflation each subsequent year.

What is the 4 Rule investing? ›

The 4% rule is easy to follow. In the first year of retirement, you can withdraw up to 4% of your portfolio's value. If you have $1 million saved for retirement, for example, you could spend $40,000 in the first year of retirement following the 4% rule.

What is 15 15 15 investment Rule? ›

More About the 15x15x15 Rule for Mutual Fund Investments

It says that if you invest Rs. 15,000 per month via SIP in an equity mutual fund that is capable of generating an average return of 15%, you are most likely to become a crorepati in 15 years (as stated in the example above).

What is the 1 rule in real estate Canada? ›

The 1% rule in real estate is a guideline that suggests that your monthly rent should be at least 1% of the purchase price of the property. This rule of thumb can be helpful in determining whether an investment property is likely to be profitable or not.

What is the 7% rule in real estate? ›

The top 7% are hustlers. If they don't know something, they'll learn it. If the heat is on, they'll put in the extra hours to make it happen. You don't have to know everything, everyone, have all the money, or talent, but if you'll apply those two principles, you'll do very well in real estate.

What is the 100 times rule in real estate investing? ›

Savvy real estate investors often pay no more than 100 times the monthly rent to purchase a property. In the case of the couple above, an investor following the 100 times monthly rent rule wouldn't pay more than $750,000 because the monthly market rent was $7,500.

What is the 25 rule in real estate? ›

The 25% post-tax model

This model states your total monthly debt should be 25% or less of your post-tax income. Let's say you earn $5,000 after taxes. To calculate how much you can afford with the 25% post-tax model, multiply $5,000 by 0.25. Using this model, you can spend up to $1,250 on your monthly mortgage payment.

What is the 5% rule in property? ›

Here is how the 5% rule works in action. Multiply the value of your home by 5%. Divide by 12. The result is the breakeven point, where renting is financially equivalent to buying.

How many days can you live in an investment property? ›

Many lenders will limit how long a tenant can live at the property. In California you can rent the property for up to two weeks tax-free no matter how much time you live in the property. However, if you rent for 15 days, or more you will have to claim the income.

What are the three most important rules of real estate? ›

Sure, location is still important. But, we hear from agents across the country that the new top 3 rules of real estate are: Speed. Speed. Speed.

What is the 30 percent rule in real estate investing? ›

You may have heard it—the old rule that says, “Homeowners shouldn't spend more than 30% of their gross monthly income on housing.” The idea is to ensure they still have 70% of their income to spend on other expenses.

What is the rule of 72 in real estate investing? ›

What Is the Rule of 72? The Rule of 72 is a simple way to determine how long an investment will take to double given a fixed annual rate of interest. By dividing 72 by the annual rate of return, investors obtain a rough estimate of how many years it will take for the initial investment to duplicate itself.

Can I afford a 300k house on a $70 K salary? ›

On a $70,000 income, you'll likely be able to afford a home that costs $280,000–380,000. The exact amount will depend on how much debt you have and where you live — as well as the type of home loan you get.

How much income do you need to buy a $650000 house? ›

To determine whether you can afford a $650,000 home you will need to consider the following 4 factors. Based on the current average for a down payment, and the current U.S. average interest rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage you would need to be earning $126,479 per year before taxes to be able to afford a $650,000 home.

How much house can I afford if I make $70,000 a year? ›

If you're an aspiring homeowner, you may be asking yourself, “I make $70,000 a year: how much house can I afford?” If you make $70K a year, you can likely afford a home between $290,000 and $360,000*. That's a monthly house payment between $2,000 and $2,500 a month, depending on your personal finances.

What is the 5 and 2 real estate rule? ›

The 2-out-of-five-year rule states that you must have both owned and lived in your home for a minimum of two out of the last five years before the date of sale. However, these two years don't have to be consecutive, and you don't have to live there on the date of the sale.

What is 20x rule in real estate? ›

Everyone wants to know when a good time to sell is. I can't remember where I heard this one, but is the 20x rule a "real thing"? If your property value appreciates to over 20x your gross annual rental income it's probably a good time to sell.

Is 8% a good ROI for real estate? ›

Return on investment is variable and depends on a lot of factors — there's no one-size-fits-all answer for what is considered a “good” ROI. The average annual ROI for residential real estate is currently hovering around 10 percent, so anything above that can be considered better than average.

What is the 50% mortgage rule? ›

The 50% rule is a guideline used by real estate investors to estimate the profitability of a given rental unit. As the name suggests, the rule involves subtracting 50 percent of a property's monthly rental income when calculating its potential profits.

What is the 90 rule mortgage? ›

If you plan to purchase a flipped home with an FHA loan, you must abide by the FHA 90-day flipping rule. This rule states that a person selling a flipped home must own the home for more than 90 days before home buyers can purchase the property.

What is the 80 20 rule in mortgages? ›

An 80/20 loan was a type of piggyback loan, which is a home loan that's split into two parts. It's called an 80/20 loan because the first part is a mortgage that covers 80% of the home purchase price. The second part is either a home equity loan or a home equity line of credit that covers the remaining 20%.

Can you live off $1,000 after rent? ›

Getting by on $1,000 a month may not be easy, especially when inflation seems to make everything more expensive. But it is possible to live well even on a small amount of money. Growing your income.

How to invest 300k in real estate? ›

How to Invest 300k in Real Estate
  1. Get involved in real estate crowdfunding.
  2. Recession Proof Your Future –Invest in a Passive Income Strategy!
  3. Invest in a multi-family property in a less costly neighborhood.
  4. Buy fixer-uppers and remodel them for profit.
  5. Recession Proof Your Future –Invest in a Passive Income Strategy!
Oct 19, 2022

How many properties do most landlords own? ›

4. The Average Landlord Has Three Properties. On average, landlords have three properties to their name. The value of those properties isn't necessarily through the roof: 40% of landlords own less than $200,000 worth of property, and an additional 30% fall in the $200,000-$400,000 range.

How do you calculate if a rental property is worth it? ›

To calculate the property's ROI:
  1. Divide the annual return by your original out-of-pocket expenses (the downpayment of $20,000, closing costs of $2,500, and remodeling for $9,000) to determine ROI.
  2. ROI = $5,016.84 ÷ $31,500 = 0.159.
  3. Your ROI is 15.9%.

How much money should you save each month on a rental property? ›

50% Rule: Set aside half of your rental income each month for repairs, maintenance, taxes, insurance, and other costs related to your property. 1% Rule: Maintenance will cost about 1% of the property value per year.

How much rental income should I save? ›

Using the 50 percent rule , set aside half the annual property rent. Using the 1 percent rule , set aside 1 percent of the property value per year. Using the square footage rule, set aside $1 per square foot per year.

What is a good cash on cash return? ›

What Is A Good Cash On Cash Return? There is no specific rule of thumb for those wondering what constitutes a good return rate. There seems to be a consensus amongst investors that a projected cash on cash return between 8 to 12 percent indicates a worthwhile investment.

What is a good ROI on Airbnb? ›

What is a good Airbnb cash on cash return? It depends. A good cash on cash return varies depending on factors such as location and property type. However, an ideal Airbnb cash on cash return should be at least 8%.

How do I maximize my return on a rental property? ›

13 Tips for Maximizing Rental Income as a Landlord
  1. Resident-Proof Your Property.
  2. Purchase The Right Insurance.
  3. Crunch the Numbers.
  4. Create An LLC.
  5. Make Use Of Tax Breaks.
  6. Make Use Of A Written Lease Agreement.
  7. Choose Your Property Management Company Wisely.
  8. Purchase A Home Warranty.
Sep 8, 2022

What is the 100 10 3 1 rule? ›

Many real estate investors subscribe to the “100:10:3:1 rule” (or some variation of it): An investor must look at 100 properties to find 10 potential deals that can be profitable. From these 10 potential deals an investor will submit offers on 3. Of the 3 offers submitted, 1 will be accepted.

Is the 1% rule still valid? ›

The 1% rule used to be a pretty good first metric to determine whether a property would likely make a good investment. With currently inflated home prices, the 1% rule no longer applies.

What is the 1 N rule in investing? ›

But when Markowitz made his own investments for his retirement, he did not use his Nobel Prize–winning method. Instead, he employed a simple rule of thumb called 1/N: Allocate your money equally to each of N funds.

What is 10 5 3 rule of investment? ›

The 10,5,3 rule

Though there are no guaranteed returns for mutual funds, as per this rule, one should expect 10 percent returns from long term equity investment, 5 percent returns from debt instruments. And 3 percent is the average rate of return that one usually gets from savings bank accounts.

What is the 1-10-100 dollar rule? ›

The rule states that… Prevention is less expensive than correction, and correction is less expensive than failure. It would make more sense to invest $1 in prevention than spend $10 on correction. Furthermore, it makes more sense to spend $10 on correction than spending $100 at the event of failure.

What is the rule of 110 or 120? ›

The common rule of asset allocation by age is that you should hold a percentage of stocks that is equal to 100 minus your age. So if you're 40, you should hold 60% of your portfolio in stocks. Since life expectancy is growing, changing that rule to 110 minus your age or 120 minus your age may be more appropriate.

Is the 1% rent rule realistic? ›

The 1% rule is a guideline that real estate investors use to choose viable investment options for their portfolios. Although the rule has helped many investors make wise decisions regarding their investment properties, the current real estate market may make following the 1% rule unrealistic.

Is the 2% rule realistic? ›

Are 2% Rule Properties Unicorns or Real? Most investors have a hard enough time finding properties that meet the 1% rule, let alone something that exceeds or even doubles that criteria. The good news for investors is that 2% properties do exist!

What is Warren Buffett's number 1 rule? ›

Warren Buffett once said, “The first rule of an investment is don't lose [money]. And the second rule of an investment is don't forget the first rule. And that's all the rules there are.”

What is Rule 25 in investing? ›

The 25x Rule is simply an estimate of how much you'll need to have saved for retirement. You take the amount you want to spend each year in retirement and multiply it by 25. Generally, you can look at your current salary to get an idea of how much you might be able to comfortably live off in retirement.

What is the 5% rule investing? ›

In investment, the five percent rule is a philosophy that says an investor should not allocate more than five percent of their portfolio funds into one security or investment. The rule also referred to as FINRA 5% policy, applies to transactions like riskless transactions and proceed sales.

What is the 7% investment rule? ›

Divide 72 by your average expected annual return

If instead your average expected annual return was a more modest 7% (accounting for the typical annual inflation of around 3%), dividing 72 by 7 would result in 10.3, meaning it would take slightly over a decade for your money to double under those conditions.

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