Buy to let is considered to be a business and is subject to taxation for residents but it can offer certain tax advantages over residential purchases, particularly if you plan to return and live in the property in the future. For example, despite living abroad, expats subject to UK taxation on a UK property are liable for capital gains tax at 40 per cent on the sale of a property. The only exception is if the property was formerly your main residence. In this case, you are exempt from capital gains if you sell within three years of renting it out to tenants. If the property has never been your main home, you are liable to full capital gains for three years.

This is the sort of advice that you would expect to get from a specialist working in the field of expat mortgages, something that you may not get from a broker that you could have used in the past, they may not have the specialist knowledge in this area. By consulting with a specialist you can also be put in touch with a solicitor who has the wide knowledge that is needed when dealing with some of the legal requirements associated with an expat mortgage that perhaps the family solicitor may not have.

One particular reason for choosing a specialist in this area is the minefield that can be encountered when looking for finance for a buy to let property, a favourite with people who may be living or working abroad. Naturally they want to keep a foothold on the property ladder for when they return to the UK, increase their capital investment and have some income from the property whilst away from the UK.

An example or where a specialist in expat mortgages can help is pointing you in the right direction when it comes to taxation. Whether you are non resident or non-domiciled, but want to buy in the UK property market, you need to bear in mind tax and currency considerations in everything that you do. Similarly, if you intend to let the property in your absence, you will need tax advice about the implications of receiving income which arises in the UK.