Should I Buy an Investment Property with a Swimming Pool?
When you are looking to invest money into a property where you do not plan to live but rather rent out, you need to strike that sweet spot where minimal investment and maximum returns meet. Your property investment returns must be greater than the upfront costs and the recurring costs put together.
How Wise is it to have a Pool on your Investment Property?
Let us take an example of a swimming pool in the backyard of your house. Who doesn’t like to imagine a lazy sunny morning spent lounging by the poolside? Is there any greater joy than a swim in crystal clear blue water? A pool adds a lot of value to a house, for the owner as well as the resident. But we need to remember that a pool comes with several costs.
The Cost of a Swimming Pool
The cost of building a pool might be a one-time investment, but the maintenance of a pool is quite costly, and those costs are repetitive. If you have a traditional swimming pool, then cleaning of leaves and other debris would need to be done manually. But for more modern self-cleaning pools, the costs become higher. The property report for a house with a pool would have a large chunk of the expenses earmarked for the pool.
What Australian Tax Depreciation Rules Say?
Having read so far, you might be tempted to think that a pool on your property might not be such a great idea after all. But there is another important factor to consider – the Australian tax depreciation rules. As per these rules, several elements of the cost of building and maintaining a swimming pool can be set off against depreciation, and tax deductions can be claimed on them.
This is how it works. When a house is constructed, the money spent on it could be broadly divided into two categories. The first is capital works, and the other is plant and equipment. Capital works would include the fixed part of a building, like the walls, floor, and wiring etc. Plant and equipment would include removable parts of the property like smoke detectors, upholstery, electrical appliances etc. A complete list of both these types of depreciation expenses needs to be made by a certified agency like Deppro using an investment property calculator. This list is then submitted along with the tax returns and deductions are availed on tax on the basis of the depreciation calculated. Many elements of the cost of a swimming pool construction can also be included in this list and deductions claimed.
Final Thoughts:
On the whole, you need to consider the location of your property, the cost of the pool, and the amount you can claim later as tax. After considering these factors, you can decide wisely whether you should buy an investment property with a pool or not.
