If you think your accountant is only any good at adding up and filling in your tax return you've either underestimated your accountant or you may have the wrong accountant (See the P.S. at the the end of this post).
Last week a client contacted me because she had decided to rent a flat to meet her clients rather than use hotels and short term rentals. Renting the flat was straightforward, it was the council who were causing the problems.
They wanted to know if this property was a second home. I'm based in the Lake District so I'm familiar with this question and the reasoning behind it. Basically, councils see second (holiday) homes as as an opportunity to charge higher than normal council tax charges. The district where my client is based has indicated they will double the council tax for "second homes".
I was able to advise her to opt for the property to be "rated" as a business. It will produce a lower bill and with a little luck because of small business rate relief it may even eliminate the liability entirely.
P.S. Too many accountants don't try hard enough to save their clients money. It's not just tax they can save either as this post shows. If you think your accountant isn't working hard enough for you then you're probably correct. Changing accountants isn't difficult and there aren't any risks involved. HMRC won't even notice you've moved from one firm to another. If you'd like to discuss this further either phone Stuart on 07866 800721 or email him at stuart@3ca.co.uk