The Rise and Rise of Online Property Tax Guru's: Who Will Take the Fall?

In recent years, landlords have been increasingly targeted by a growing industry of online “property tax experts”—individuals who often lack professional qualifications but promise dramatic tax savings through clever structures and hybrid planning arrangements. These ideas are usually marketed through webinars, social media clips, paid courses, glossy PDFs, and urgent‑sounding sales funnels designed to present tax planning as both simple and universal. Pitches often include phrases like "your accountant won't tell you this as they are not property experts".

For landlords already feeling the pressure of rising taxes and shrinking margins, these schemes and personalities who present them can look irresistible. And that’s precisely the problem.

During a recent presentation I delivered to a landlord group as a guest tax expert, I demonstrated just how easy it is to be drawn in.

So I began my talk with a pitch that mirrored what many landlords see online:

A “Hybrid LLP Structure” promising:• Substantial income tax savings• Full deduction of mortgage interest• 100% Inheritance Tax relief after two years• No SDLT• No CGT• And—of course—“no drawbacks” A one‑size‑fits‑all solution… for every landlord!

It captured attention immediately. And that was the point—this is how these schemes work.

The Alluring Pitch

Proposing a “mixed partnership” or other structures, the pitch will claim a secret underused solution to allcomers concerns around income tax, capital gains, SDLT or IHT problems all at once.

And of course if you already believe that the presenter is a bona fide tax guru, and expert in your particular area of interest - for example a property, then you are willing in believe what they say. It may ever be suggested that a qualified tax adviser or accountant doesn't know about the planning solutions as these tired old professionals aren't "property experts".

This is the backbone of many hybrid LLP and other pitches, and you’ll see it repeatedly in online material.

Suffice to say, every single landlord in the room I pitch to put up their hand when offered the chance to receive a 'Road-map' for only £500. It could have been a very lucrative evening for an unregulated self anointed tax guru.

Where It Falls Apart: Reality

The legislation - Simply. Knowledge of tax legislation new and old is vital to navigating tax planning for landlords or any business. Legislation is in place and designed precisely to stop manipulation of profit allocations or many of the other structures proposed by online guru's. HMRC have powers to reallocate and look through planning arrangements which lack genuine commercial purpose. Landlords will find themselves with a whole new host of tax issues and could find themselves in a much worse and more complex situation upon discovering the tax savings evaporate and the complex structure is ineffective but cannot be unwound. Awareness of the rules is part of the training and CPD obligations of a chartered tax adviser or accountant.

Even more concerning, the “Road Maps” marketed by promoters of these schemes often do not mention any legislative risks at all. Landlords cannot make informed decisions when the truth is omitted.

The IHT Myth: “Turning Your Portfolio Into a Trading Business”

Another major selling feature is the promise of full Inheritance Tax relief under Business Property Relief (BPR). Promoters often suggest that moving a property portfolio into an LLP transforms it into a trading business—qualifying all assets for 100% IHT exemption within two years.

But this is simply incorrect.

• A property investment business is not a trading business.

• Moving it into an LLP, company, or any “structure” does not change this.

• BPR is not available for investment‑based activities.

The Consequences of Believing the Sales Pitch

Implementing one of these online‑promoted hybrid structures can lead to:

• Automatic HMRC enquiries when partnership returns are filed

• Complex and messy annual accounts

• Expensive unwinding or restructuring

• Increased tax liabilities compared to standard planning

• Penalties, interest, and no reasonable defence

• A long road to litigation if you wish to “prove” your scheme works, with no chance of success

Good Advice vs. Bad Advice: How To Tell the Difference

One of my goals is to make landlords aware of the stark difference between regulated professional advice and the unregulated world of self‑styled property tax gurus.

✔ Good advice typically includes:

• Delivered by a Chartered Tax Advisor or qualified accountant

• Regulated and accountable

• Pro’s and con’s clearly explained - even the best ideas often have drawbacks

• Cites relevant legislation

• Tailored planning, not templates

• Clear engagement letters and AML compliance

• Transparent limitations, caveats, and risks

• Independent—no pre‑sold “magic structure”

✘ Bad advice often shows warning signs:

• No qualifications, no regulatory oversight

• Selling a single structure as if universal

• Claiming HMRC “approval” (which does not exist)

• Offering generic boilerplate reports for upfront fees

• Criticising qualified advisers

• Referring to unnamed “QCs” or secret experts

• Urging clients away from existing professional advisers

• Claiming exclusivity or secrecy around the idea

These behaviours appeared repeatedly in the schemes I have reviewed.

Why I Created This “Reversal” Presentation

My motivation is simple:

To prevent the tax profession from being dragged into disrepute by unregulated advisers and to protect landlords from being sold poor, ineffective, and risky ideas.

Landlords deserve clear, balanced, and qualified advice—not sales tactics, not false promises, and certainly not expensive mistakes.

What Landlords Should Do Instead

Most effective planning isn’t dramatic. It isn’t sold in flashy webinars. It isn’t a one‑size‑fits‑all template.

It typically involves a mix of the following, tailored to your personal goals:

• LLPs and companies used appropriately

• Trust structures

• Pensions and long‑term planning

• Spousal income sharing

• Genuine restructuring when commercially justified

• Gradual, not overnight, inheritance tax planning

Everyone is slightly different—and so are their tax planning needs.

Final Thoughts

If something sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is—especially in tax.

Hybrid LLP schemes and other structures promise the world: income tax savings, IHT exemption, no SDLT, no CGT, and instant financial transformation. But when examined properly, they fail on every major technical point and expose landlords to avoidable risk.

Before acting on any planning structure:

• Ask who is giving the advice

• Check qualifications

• Understand the legislation

• Demand transparency

• Avoid secrecy or template reports

• Seek an independent review

Because in tax—just like in property—the foundations matter.

If you have received bad advice or just want to gain some insights, speak with a Chartered Tax Adviser!