VAT Reclaim Item Queries

[kantryla]

Hi all - just finalising our VAT reclaim and have some queries wondered if the collective could help us with

 

1) As all new homes must have fibre connection - should Openreach have zero rated their connection?   As they didn't can I reclaim that?

2) I know kitchen appliances cannot be VAT reclaimed but what about the extraction ducting, we have a Bora hob extracting externally - all ducting effectively in the fabric of the house now?

3) Network equipment, we have 4 wired in POE access points, and a POE switch - cannot see nay advice on network equipement - I'm assuming no but thought I'd ask

4) Weed matting and teram that lay under shingle area around house?

 

Also when does the 3 month clock start ticking, from date of moving in, or date of Building Control certificate - I'd assumed the latter which in our case was 1 month after we moved in, but I just read somewhere else its from move in date

 

Finally can I still reclaim VAT on building materials (MDF, CLS, etc) until I put the claim in - or does that stop at the above date

 

Thanks

[Conor]

1. No.

2. You should be able to claim the hob, we did.

3. No. 

4. Yes.

 

Think the three months is now 6. And it's from date of BC signoff.

 

Put the claim in as late as possible and buy whatever you think you'll need. I bought a dozen sheets of osb, general timber, trade boxes of screws, delivery of blocks, sand, cement etc

 

(For the items bought after BC signoff, we included a letter explaining they were for items not required for signoff and we're for things that were part of the fabric of the build, landscaping, paving, flooring etc. we had several thousands worth and they paid it all.

Edited January 6 by Conor

[Paene Finitur]

4 hours ago, kantryla said:

Also when does the 3 month clock start ticking, from date of moving in, or date of Building Control certificate - I'd assumed the latter which in our case was 1 month after we moved in, but I just read somewhere else its from move in date

 

There are some great pinned posts on this subject. The 3 months is from BC signoff (6 months if after 5 December 2023) but there's been a few cases where HMRC have argued that the moving in date was more significant. As far as I can tell, this tended to happen when BC sign off was severely delayed and owners had moved in months or even years earlier.  They do ask for the moving in date on the form.

 

We'd had to move in even though there was still work to get the cert and this took about 4 months. Bit of a nervy wait but they paid out without question and only deducted a kitchen appliance - they were fine with the extractor.

 

Definitely worth getting any VAT claimable supplies in for any jobs your hoping to do imminently. I chucked in a few of these, but to be honest I wish I'd kept better records and been a bit more savvy throughout our build - I'm sure we missed a few things that we could have claimed for.

[kantryla]

@Conor @Paene Finitur thank you both very much for your replies - interesting.  Need to look at my future shopping list now to see what I can bring forward quickly.

[twice round the block]

1 minute ago, kantryla said:

@Conor @Paene Finitur thank you both very much for your replies - interesting.  Need to look at my future shopping list now to see what I can bring forward quickly.

Landscaping plan ???

[ToughButterCup]

14 hours ago, Conor said:

... And it's from date of BC signoff....

 

Its rare for @Conor to hiccup , but he has here. 

In our case, the starting pistol was fired after the date that the house was added to the Valuation List. We still have not had Sign Off by the BCO - yet - over a year later. 

 

@Conor is correct in saying that the BCO sign off is one (but only one) of the list of events that can be used by HMRC to initiate their own VAT Reclaim process.

 

Here's chapter and verse on Valuation Listing

[Adrian Walker]

If you have any questions a free call to Andrew Jones (https://www.vat431.co.uk/) is worth doing.  BTW VAT claims are now done one line and you don't need to send in invoices unless requested to.

[dpmiller]

1 hour ago, ToughButterCup said:

 

Its rare for @Conor to hiccup , but he has here. 

In our case, the starting pistol was fired after the date that the house was added to the Valuation List. We still have not had Sign Off by the BCO - yet - over a year later. 

 

@Conor is correct in saying that the BCO sign off is one (but only one) of the list of events that can be used by HMRC to initiate their own VAT Reclaim process.

 

Here's chapter and verse on Valuation Listing

 

@ToughButterCup does your chapter and verse apply to all four devolved regions?

[joe90]

3 hours ago, Adrian Walker said:

If you have any questions a free call to Andrew Jones (https://www.vat431.co.uk/) is worth doing.  BTW VAT claims are now done one line and you don't need to send in invoices unless requested to.

It’s also worth letting Andrew do your VAT return, I did and the additional monies he got back were more than I paid  him 👍

[Adrian Walker]

4 minutes ago, joe90 said:

It’s also worth letting Andrew do your VAT return, I did and the additional monies he got back were more than I paid  him 👍

I agree, he has saved my clients £1,000s.

[JohnMo]

37 minutes ago, joe90 said:

It’s also worth letting Andrew do your VAT return, I did and the additional monies he got back were more than I paid  him 👍

 

32 minutes ago, Adrian Walker said:

I agree, he has saved my clients £1,000s.

What extra can he get back that you are not already allowed to claim? Took a couple of day cataloguing my receipts (so cost nothing to claim), but couldn't see any missed opportunities to get vat back. Had nothing rejected either.

[joe90]

1 minute ago, JohnMo said:

What extra can he get back that you are not already allowed to claim?

It’s just that he is an expert and this is his day job so knows all the loop holes, several of my receipts were incorrect and he contacted the supplier for proper receipts, he also passed my file to a VAT auditor (private) and she spotted that my builder had made a mistake and I got another £1k back from him (with his apologies). If you think yours is all good then crack on but I was concentrating on building not finance.

[Conor]

7 hours ago, ToughButterCup said:

 

Its rare for @Conor to hiccup , but he has here. 

In our case, the starting pistol was fired after the date that the house was added to the Valuation List. We still have not had Sign Off by the BCO - yet - over a year later. 

 

@Conor is correct in saying that the BCO sign off is one (but only one) of the list of events that can be used by HMRC to initiate their own VAT Reclaim process.

 

Here's chapter and verse on Valuation Listing

We were added to the valuation list on 17th March, BC signoff 30th July. Latter was the date used. Maybe valuation date not used as it was a replacement build rather than a new one? So was only "off" the register temporarily.

 

(We did include a letter explaining move in dates, incomplete works, visit by LPS valuer, etc, etc. I think providing context to the assessors is helpful, as it says on the form, you have to declare these facts anyway)

Edited January 7 by Conor

[ToughButterCup]

The local Valuation Officer was was way too efficient and I took the HERAS down way too early as well. 

 

Live and learn. 

[Quaker Barn]

We moved in and paid council tax from June.  Our last builder’s invoice was dated Oct. Building Control Certificate wasn’t received till Dec. 
I lost sleep over whether this would be an issue but there was no problem at all - VAT successfully reclaimed. 
I didn’t include any explanation at all -  the new online system doesn’t allow for that.  We were asked to provide copies of some invoices and then some supporting information - all handled really quickly and we were paid in full within days 🙂