Property Company Accounting

How to file a CT600 for a property company with Clear Books Tax. Covers rental income, property expenses, and Box 170.

How do you file a CT600 for a property company on Clear Books Tax? This guide covers what's different about property companies, which fields to use, and how property losses work.

Setting Up Your Property Company Filing

When starting your CT600, select Property Company as the company type:

Company

What type of company is this?

Trading Company

Property Company

Dormant Company

Mixed Income

Select the company type that matches your situation. This affects which fields appear.

Choose Property Company if your company's main income is from letting or renting property. This changes the form to show property-specific fields.

ℹ If your company has both trading income AND property income, choose <strong>Mixed Income (Advanced)</strong> instead. The Property Company type is for companies where rental income is the primary or only activity.

What's Different for Property Companies?

The form layout is mostly the same as for trading companies, with these key differences:

Aspect	Trading Company	Property Company
Income field	Turnover (Box 145)	Property rental income (Box 190)
Net profit box	Box 165 (Net trading profits)	Box 190 (Income from property business)
Losses label	Losses	Property Losses
Losses brought forward box	Box 160	Box 250
Current-year loss box	Box 780 (trading losses)	Box 805 (UK property business losses)

Everything else — staff costs, other charges, depreciation, AIA, marginal relief — works the same way.

Entering Your Figures

Income

Enter your total rental income in the Property rental income field. This is the gross rent received before deducting expenses.

Expenses

Enter your costs in the standard P&L expense fields:

Field	Property company examples
Cost of raw materials and consumables	Materials for minor repairs you do yourself
Staff costs	Property manager salary, cleaner wages
Depreciation	Depreciation on fixtures, furniture, equipment
Other charges	Agent fees, insurance, repairs, mortgage interest, legal fees, utility bills (if landlord-paid), advertising for tenants

Capital Allowances

The Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) is available for property companies. You can claim AIA on:

Furniture and furnishings in rental properties
Tools and equipment
Vehicles used for the property business
Fixtures (boilers, radiators, fitted kitchens in commercial properties)

You cannot claim AIA on the property itself. Buildings and land are not qualifying assets for capital allowances.

Property Losses

Losses Brought Forward

If your property business made a loss in a previous year, enter the amount in the Property losses brought forward field (Box 250). This offsets against your current year's property income.

Current Year Losses

If your property income minus expenses produces a loss this year, Clear Books Tax calculates this automatically. The loss carries forward to future years in Box 805 (UK property business losses carried forward).

ℹ Box 805 is the correct CT600 box for property business losses. Box 780 is used for trading losses and will be zero on a properly set-up property company filing.

How Property Losses Differ from Trading Losses

Property losses can only be offset against future property income. Unlike trading losses, they cannot be:

Set against other types of income (e.g., interest income) in the same period
Carried back to previous periods

ℹ If your company has both property income and interest income, property losses brought forward offset against property income first. Any remaining loss carries forward.

CT600 Box Reference for Property Companies

CT600 Box	Name	Property Company
Box 145	Trading turnover	Not used (blank)
Box 190	Income from UK property business	✓ Your rental income
Box 250	UK property business losses b/f	✓ Losses from prior years
Box 780	Losses of trades	Not used (zero)
Box 805	UK property business losses c/f	✓ Current-year loss carried forward

If a previous accountant or software used Box 145 for a pure property company, that may have been an error. The correct box for rental income is Box 190, not Box 145.

Common Scenarios

Single Rental Property

Situation: You own one buy-to-let property through a limited company.

How to file:

Select Property Company
Enter gross rent as Property rental income
Enter agent fees, insurance, repairs, mortgage interest in Other charges
Enter any staff costs if applicable
Claim AIA for any qualifying equipment

Multiple Rental Properties

Situation: Your company owns several rental properties.

How to file: Same as above — combine the figures. Enter the total rental income across all properties, and the total costs.

Property With No Tenants (Void Period)

Situation: Your property was empty for part of the year.

How to file: Enter the rent received (for the occupied period). Costs incurred while the property was empty are still allowable expenses — include them in Other charges.

Property Company With Interest Income

Situation: Your property company has bank interest as well as rental income.

How to file: Enter rental income in Property rental income. Enter bank interest in the Interest income field (Box 170). Both are included in your taxable profit.

Common Questions

Q: My company has trading income AND rental income — which type do I choose? A: Choose Mixed Income (Advanced). This gives you access to both turnover (Box 145) and property income (Box 190) fields, plus a dedicated property expenses field.

Q: Why is Box 145 blank in my CT600 when a previous accountant had it filled? A: For a pure property company, income goes in Box 190 (property income), not Box 145 (trading turnover). If Box 145 was used before, the previous filing may have used a trading company classification rather than a property company classification. Box 190 is the correct box for rental income.

Q: My previous CT600 used Box 805 for losses, but I can see Box 780 referenced — which should it be? A: For a property company, Box 805 is the correct box for losses carried forward (UK property business losses). Box 780 is for trading company losses and will be zero on a property company filing. If Clear Books Tax has your company set up as Property Company type, it will automatically use Box 805.

Q: Where do I enter mortgage interest? A: In Other charges on the P&L. For limited companies, mortgage interest on buy-to-let properties is a fully deductible business expense. (The restriction on mortgage interest relief applies to individual landlords, not companies.)

Q: Can I claim capital allowances on a new kitchen? A: It depends. Replacing a like-for-like kitchen in a residential property is a revenue expense (Other charges). A new kitchen in a commercial property may qualify for capital allowances. If in doubt, consult your accountant.

Q: My property made a loss — can I offset it against my salary? A: No. Company losses and personal income are separate. The company's property loss carries forward against future property profits within the company.

Q: I renovated a property before letting it — where do those costs go? A: Pre-letting renovation costs are usually capital expenditure (they improve the property, not maintain it). They may not be deductible as a revenue expense. Consult your accountant for the correct treatment.

Still Have Questions?

If you're unsure about any aspect of your property company filing, get in touch.

Last updated: April 2026

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