Capital allowances advisors

Each year millions of pounds of tax allowances and reliefs go unclaimed.

Tax issues are often overlooked or considered at a late stage in property transactions, but when the full suite of options for tax allowances are used proactively they can secure significant savings from acquisitions, disposals, developments and brown field remediations.

For many tax is a consequence, rather than a strategy. Working alongside our clients to deeply understand their circumstances we leverage tax reliefs to positively shape property strategies; maximising your potential, opportunities and savings across property transactions and developments.

We understand that commercial business drivers will always dominate property development and investment, but if tax allowances and reliefs are used strategically they can significantly enhance returns. Our experience means that we know where to introduce and implement tax allowance strategies for maximum effect.

Contact us

Construction claim assessment

Capital Allowances is a technical and specialist activity that requires an optimal blend of knowledge, experience, and attitude.

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Our services are provided by senior advisers that have performed at the highest level across a variety of service platforms. Accounting, surveying and property consultancy experience blends together a considered and mature approach to claim solutions. We assume a thorough approach is required in all client requests but wherever possible we adopt simple, clear and disclosed services.

We believe capital allowances are an essential aspect in any project armoury and an invaluable value engineering tool. The inclusion of capital allowances estimates to project viability, feasibility, and financial modelling studies is paramount to enable our clients to fully consider project scope and returns. Maximising capital allowances then becomes an intrinsic project element, providing confidence to clients, and all stakeholders and interested parties.

Having a range of understanding through plant and machinery allowances, general plant, integral features, super deductions and first year allowances, structure and buildings allowances, contributions, grants, repairs, etc requires a holistic experienced approach to evaluate the best approach required.

Strategic acquisition advice

Our consultants have 20 plus years of advising on large and complex transactions through proactive planning and negotiation.

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Best practice and a high level of understanding underpin capital allowances transaction strategies, whether in selling or buying scenarios. Adopting a bespoke forward-thinking strategy establishes a competitive advantage over the opposing transacting parties, and in this respect capital allowances is no different to client investment and negotiation advice. A little proactive planning using foresight and judgement goes a long way to providing knowledgeable and maximised tax outcomes.

The building fixtures environment has evolved many times over the last 20-30 years, with finally, in the last 5 years at least, HMRC achieving a greater level of control and transparency. Significant opportunities remain however, for both sellers and buyers through an understanding of seller structure and positioning, protection and creative use of allowances both unidentified or identified, or knowing the right information required at the right time out with the standard CPSE enquiries. The key to success is in engaging the right expert early.

Sectorising allowances

All industry sectors are unique but require a tailored and transferable approach of core disciplines.

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Our cross trained senior surveying and tax experts have a unique set of skills which are required to assess, evaluate, review and document optimised capital allowances claims for our clients. We believe that core capabilities are essential to maximise savings in all industry sectors including offices, hotels and leisure, healthcare, manufacturing and so on. Whilst some industries require a more truly specialised approach such as the water industry or previously sports stadia and grounds (safety at work), we are also firm advocates of establishing expert knowledge in our client sectors.

Years of experience in listening to our clients business ideas and aspirations has taught us where best to place our focus in building strategies to increase allowances and savings. Existing building alterations may throw up a high degree of incidental assets, hotel projects will include a significant amount of embellishments and finishes, and healthcare builds will contain a high incidence of protective and clean assets. We listen, we learn, and we understand to how best develop our services to serve our individual clients.

Land remediation relief

An extremely rewarding tax relief that necessitates a highly specialised level of qualitative due diligence.

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Capital allowances advice requires a good degree of technical due diligence and entitlement considerations, and a high focus on analytical cost skills. However, the extremely valuable land remediation relief requires an opposing approach. To secure this relief It is fundamentally important to carry out a thorough understanding and review of all relevant client, transaction, property, environmental considerations, remediation strategy, and relevant costs to advise clients property. Failure to do so could be very costly.

A full review of this tax relief by HMRC several years back resulted in higher levels of legislative entitlement to focus the financial benefit where previously intended. Robust due diligence is key and must be enacted with the both the client’s and project consultant’s assistance to enable full disclosure of all relevant case facts. Our consultants are highly motivated to ensuring all client’s take advantage of this valuable project saving but with the correct, detailed approach.

Key capital allowances contacts

Peter O'Brien

    • Principal & Managing Director
    • Valuation Advisory Services
peter.o'[email protected]

News and updates

Major pre-letting secured at Pilgrim Place 1 Building, Newcastle

Pilgrim Place 1 Building Newcastle 31 January 2025

Visitors to the Pilgrim Street area of Newcastle will have noticed the recent arrival of two tower cranes working on the construction of Pilgrim Place 1 + 2 buildings adjacent to the first phase Bank House building, which kick started the Pilgrim Street regeneration and is now 75% let.

Global real estate firm Avison Young has today [30 Nov. 2025] confirmed that a major pre-letting has been secured of the Pilgrim Place 1 building which will extend to 173,245sq ft (NIA) over 9 storeys.

In what is undoubtedly great news for the city, the Ryder Architecture designed Pilgrim Place 1 will be occupied by a DWP Service and Support Centre, which is expected to open in 2027. The letting will increase footfall and further enhance the vitality and viability of the nearby city centre retail core.

The adjacent Pilgrim Place 2 building (90,000sq ft), is being developed and marketed as speculative Grade A office accommodation by the developer Reuben Brothers (Newcastle) Ltd. The overall scheme will incorporate a plaza, public realm improvements and car parking. Bowmer and Kirkland are the main contractor.

Avison Young acted for Reuben Brothers (Newcastle) Ltd and BNP Paribas acted for DWP in respect of the pre-letting of the building.

Tony Wordsworth, Director, Avison Young adds: “This major letting represents a tremendous vote of confidence in the strength of the Newcastle city centre office marketplace. The earlier speculative construction of Bank House brought forward high-quality Grade A office accommodation, which is now 75% let to a wide selection of professional and corporate occupiers.”

He adds. “The developer, ourselves and joint agent, Knight Frank are keen to secure occupiers for the Pilgrim Place 2 building, which will complete the Pilgrim Place element of the comprehensive regeneration scheme.”

Chris Turnbull, Principal, Avison Young who is project managing the development says. “There are already good signs of progress on site with the two tower cranes supplying the emerging cores of both buildings which, when complete in 2027, will procure the comprehensive development of Pilgrim Place, the southern block of the Pilgrim Street Regeneration Area.”

Notes for Editors

The Pilgrim Street regeneration was kick started by the decision to proceed with the speculative development of the 14 storey, 120,000square feet Bank House office building on the site of the former Bank of England, which is now 75% let.

HMRC announced in November 2021 that Newcastle’s Pilgrim’s Quarter, part of the Pilgrim Street development, would become a Government Hub for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in the North-East. The regional centre will provide office accommodation for approximately 9,000 HMRC staff and is scheduled to be handed over by the developer for tenant fit out in October 2025.

Building works are well in hand to convert the former fire station and adjoining police station into a niche hotel, Hotel Gotham, Newcastle, with works scheduled to complete in April 2025.

The Grade 2 Listed Worswick Chambers has also been refurbished for primarily leisure uses, and is currently being fit out by the operator, The Stack with a proposed opening date in spring of 2025.

For further information:

Ian Parker
Consultant, UK
T: 07919 692 879
E: [email protected]

Avison Young creates real economic, social and environmental value as a global real estate advisor, powered by people. As a private company, our clients collaborate with an empowered partner who is invested in their success. Our integrated talent realizes the full potential of real estate by using global intelligence platforms that provide clients with insights and advantage. Together, we can create healthy, productive workplaces for employees, cities that are centers for prosperity for their citizens, and built spaces and places that create a net benefit to the economy, the environment and the community.

Avison Young is a 2024 winner of the Canada's Best Managed Companies Platinum Club designation, having retained its Best Managed designation for thirteen consecutive years.