Can I reclaim VAT on turf?

[Bitpipe]

Landscaping is going well and turf finally being laid. 

 

Contractor is on a labour only rate (VAT free) and I'm buying in materials as we need them.

 

Paving around the house etc was explicitly included in the approved plans, as was a new wall at the front with planting within as a planning condition (so that's covered too).

 

However I'm not sure about turf in the back garden. Anyone have experience of successfully claiming VAT back for that? 

 

If it's a no-no then I'll need to see if the contractor will supply it and zero rate it at his end. 

[Temp]

Yes grass is ok. See last bullet point in section 3.3.4 here...

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-notice-708-buildings-and-construction/vat-notice-708-buildings-and-construction

 

Things like plant or trees are different. Can only claim for those if they were on an agreed  landscaping plan in your planning grant.

[Temp]

Oops forgot to add...

 

You can reclaim the vat if you buy the turf but if your contractor supplies and lays it his labor and the turf should be zero rated to you.

Edited November 16, 2017 by Temp

[Bitpipe]

7 hours ago, Temp said:

Oops forgot to add...

 

You can reclaim the vat if you buy the turf but if your contractor supplies and lays it his labor and the turf should be zero rated to you.

 

Thanks, I'm supplying all of the landscaping materials so that's good to know.

 

Don't see a way of avoiding the plant hire though unless the contractor includes it in his fee and zero rates it to me.

[Jeremy Harris]

We were lucky in that the landscaper we used was still VAT registered at the time, so we got him to get all topsoil, turf etc and just zero rate the whole job.  As it turned out, he could get both topsoil and turf at a better price than I could.  He also had his own plant, so there were no complications with plant hire.

 

HMRC didn't question any of the landscaping work receipts at all, although they were pretty thorough and threw out our first claim (returning the crate full of receipts.........) because of a misunderstanding between there being a cycle storage building shown on the plans that we hadn't built (it was only there to meet the CfSH requirement that originally applied).

[Temp]

5 hours ago, Bitpipe said:

Don't see a way of avoiding the plant hire though unless the contractor includes it in his fee and zero rates it to me.

 

That's the only way I know.

[Bitpipe]

What about muck away?

 

I know I paid VAT on the 2-3 skips we had during the build.

 

I now have 2-3 grab loaders worth of spoil to remove after grading the front of the house. Can I get the grab-loader firm to zero rate that to me as a new build?

[Bitpipe]

1 hour ago, Bitpipe said:

What about muck away?

 

I know I paid VAT on the 2-3 skips we had during the build.

 

I now have 2-3 grab loaders worth of spoil to remove after grading the front of the house. Can I get the grab-loader firm to zero rate that to me as a new build?

 

Gave a few a call and they seem happy enough to do that.