Houses in meadow

Foundations Hub

Autumn 2021

Social Housing Insights
Julia-Poulter

Welcome to this autumn 2021 edition of Foundations, our newsletter for the Social Housing sector. After eighteen months when our normal patterns of work, home and leisure have been turned on their heads, there seems to be a return to something like normality. However, it does seem that this ‘new normal’ will never be the same as before, and some fundamental changes in the way we live our lives are taking place.


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Julia-Poulter
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Social housing providers need to adapt to the changing needs of their tenants, leaseholders, staff and other stakeholders. With the appointment of Michael Gove as the new secretary of state putting housing at the heart of the government’s ‘levelling-up’ agenda, it is clear that we are in for a period of great opportunity in the sector.

I am sure you are as exhausted as me of staring at your screen at virtual conferences and meetings. We are therefore really looking forward to holding our social housing conference on 24 November 2021 at our new London head office. Our theme will be the different approaches needed for the different times we find ourselves in.

Also, at the bottom of this page are links to our various recent webinars if you have missed these as well as our upcoming courses.

Change always brings both challenges and opportunities, and our newsletter examines many of these. Many organisations have looked to merge as a way to build development capacity and achieve efficiency savings. This can lead to an unwieldy corporate group but simplifying this is not always as easy as it seems – we look at the tax issues that need to be addressed early on.

I was delighted to be appointed to the SORP working party last year. Accounting rules continue to develop and I discuss the changes in the pipeline for lease accounting. We would welcome your views on whether the current Shared Ownership accounting works for your association so please get in touch.

Most organisations seem to be expecting a partial return to the office. For many this will mean a mixture of office-based, home-based and hybrid staff, with potentially new employment contracts. We examine how employment taxes need to be considered for these new ways of working. We also include a reminder of the need to check self-employed individuals for employment status, even if you are a smaller organisation.

We provide some updates on some VAT developments relevant to housing associations. Roller blinds and shutters can now be zero-rated. HMRC is examining the VAT treatment of temporary workers in the care sector and organisations in this sector should check their own arrangements carefully. Making Tax Digital for VAT is now in its second stage and there are links to further details of how this affects housing associations.

Sadly, the last eighteen months have seen a surge in fraud, and we know housing associations, their suppliers and customers have all been affected by these, with some stories reaching the national press. We discuss some of the most common examples we have seen, and the financial impact these have had.

We hope to see many of you at our conference and look forward to working with you through this period of change."

Julia Poulter, Partner, Head of Social Housing

Insights in this edition

Organisation mergers can lead to a bloated corporate group, how can the practical tax issues emerge in the post event tidy up.
The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) reviews FRS102 on a periodic basis and has recently commenced this process.
We assess the tax implications as many who have been working from home return to their offices.
Organisation mergers can lead to a bloated corporate group, how can the practical tax issues emerge in the post event tidy up.
The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) reviews FRS102 on a periodic basis and has recently commenced this process.
We assess the tax implications as many who have been working from home return to their offices.
Detailed IR35 rules for smaller housing associations.
Two businesses that provided temporary nursing staff to hospitals have both recently lost their VAT cases in the High Court.
Detailed IR35 rules for smaller housing associations.
Two businesses that provided temporary nursing staff to hospitals have both recently lost their VAT cases in the High Court.
The new rules for Making Tax Digital (MTD) came into effect on 01 April 2021, but what does this mean in terms of your VAT return processes?
Our report helps organisations asses the threat of fraud, placing you in a better position to anticipate the threats and opportunities.
The new rules for Making Tax Digital (MTD) came into effect on 01 April 2021, but what does this mean in terms of your VAT return processes?
Our report helps organisations asses the threat of fraud, placing you in a better position to anticipate the threats and opportunities.
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Event title Date Location
19/11/2024London
04/12/2024Manchester

Webinars

Domestic reverse charge on construction services
Implementation of DRC has been further delayed to 1 March 2021. Covering the new DRC rules impacting all businesses that are registered for VAT in the construction sector or those receiving construction service.
Change to VAT treatment of damages and compensation
HMRC is proposing to change its interpretation of a wide range of compensation payments, including dilapidations, liquidated damages, early termination charges and penalty clauses. 
VAT bitesize webinars 
Designed to bring some certainty regarding your VAT position during these uncertain times, while supporting your team when many will be working remotely.
Domestic reverse charge on construction services
Implementation of DRC has been further delayed to 1 March 2021. Covering the new DRC rules impacting all businesses that are registered for VAT in the construction sector or those receiving construction service.
Change to VAT treatment of damages and compensation
HMRC is proposing to change its interpretation of a wide range of compensation payments, including dilapidations, liquidated damages, early termination charges and penalty clauses. 
VAT bitesize webinars 
Designed to bring some certainty regarding your VAT position during these uncertain times, while supporting your team when many will be working remotely.

Contact us

Julia-Poulter
Julia Poulter
Head of Social Housing
London