Fast Track for Register of Overseas Entities Owning UK Property

08 March 2022
Author: Helen McGhee

The invasion of Ukraine has prompted the UK government to speedily publish the draft legislation for the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Bill 2022 which requires foreign entities that acquire UK property (freehold interests or leases granted for more than 7 years) to register with Companies House and declare details of their beneficial ownership. Implementation will proceed at record pace following royal assent and ultimately the register could be open for public inspection (albeit with restricted access to date of birth and residential addresses of beneficial owners).

The objective of the Bill is to crack down on foreign criminals using UK property to launder proceeds of corruption.

Any non-UK entity that already owns (and indeed acquired at any time in the previous 20 years) or going forward buys UK land will be required by the new rules to disclose to Companies House details of its beneficial owners/individuals with significant control (broadly those owning more than 25% of the shares/voting rights or otherwise exercising significant control) in exchange for the issue of an ID number necessary to complete title registration. Information provided will need to be verified and updated annually. Sanctions for non-compliance of course will include restrictions on an ability to create charges over or dispose of the land as well as daily fines of £500 and/or criminal sanctions including prison sentences of up to 5 years.  At present those who already own land will have a grace period of 18 months to register.

The effects of the new legislation will be felt not only by the Russian oligarchs and kleptocrats it is aimed at but also by those families who have historically favoured holding UK land through offshore entities as a means of asset protection or to safeguard privacy for other reasons. The new rules when read alongside the expanded scope of the UK Trust Register are a significant step towards global transparency.

Return to List of Articles by UK Lawyers on Tax Disputes, Tax Litigation, HMRC Tax Appeal Return to Listings
Left Button on Tax Dispute & Tax Litigation Lawyers in London

Our Insights

Insights from UK Tax Dispute Lawyers & HMRC Tax litigation

JHA ranked in top tier again in Legal 500 UK 2025

We are happy to announce that JHA's Tax Disputes Team has again been ranked as Tier 1 by Legal 500 today, a ranking we have proudly achieved every year since we began in 2013. A special congratulations to Graham Aaronson KC who has again been recognised in the Hall of Fame category, Iain MacWhannell (ranked as a Leading Partner) and Mei Wong (ranked as a Leading Associate).

This is the latest successful ranking, following previous top-tier rankings in Chambers UK Legal Guide 2024 and Chambers High Net Worth Guide 2024.

Read More
Insights from UK Tax Dispute Lawyers & HMRC Tax litigation

Armour Veterinary Group v HMRC – Warning for Partnership Personnel Changes?

In this decision, the First-tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber) (“FTT”) dismissed an appeal against discovery assessments which disallowed amortisation relief claimed by the Appellant company for three types of goodwill acquired from a partnership. The decision examined the applicability of each of the circumstances set out in s882 CTA 2009 before concluding none of them had been satisfied. It also provided guidance on the meaning of carrying on a business pursuant to s884 CTA 2009. In rejecting the appeal, the FTT reached a number of key conclusions:

  1. partners can potentially rebut the presumption that individual partners do not own the goodwill of the business (in whole or part) by expressly recording the division in a partnership agreement;
  2. whether a partner is an equity or salaried partner has no bearing on whether they can be treated as carrying on the business for the purpose of s884;
  3. when determining whether and when a partner carries on a business, the FTT will consider, inter alia, (1) if they are in a partnership as per the definition in s1 of the Partnership Act 1890 and (2) their role in the day-to-day running of the practice;
  4. a fundamental aspect of the self-assessment regime is that taxpayers must ensure that they retain adequate records (backed up by an external valuation as relevant in the case of a goodwill transfer) sufficient to support the information provided in their returns, including evidence to support claims made for relief.

Read More

Right Button on Tax Dispute & Tax Litigation Lawyers in London