Estate planning for property owners
Your family could inherit the properties and a tax bill without the cash to pay it.
Check how your ownership arrangements, borrowing, wills and succession plans fit together before deciding what to change.
A will is important, but it does not by itself settle the tax, ownership, income and family questions around a property portfolio. Repton joins those facts up first, then identifies which legal, tax or regulated professional work is needed.
Questions to join up before choosing a structure
Model the second-death position
A spouse exemption can defer inheritance tax, but the position on second death depends on the taxable estate, available allowances, reliefs and who inherits the home. Model the facts before drawing a conclusion.
Start with net equity
Secured borrowing can reduce the value that enters an estate calculation where it is properly deductible. A £500k property with a £200k qualifying mortgage has £300k of net equity before other facts and reliefs are considered.
Decide when control should pass
An outright gift usually gives the beneficiary control once they inherit. If timing or family resilience matters, the alternatives and their trade-offs need proper legal review.
Test later-life family events
Remarriage, creditor claims and family disputes can affect an inheritance. Ownership, wills and any trust terms must be considered together; no structure guarantees protection from every later event.
Is This Relevant to You?
This approach is designed for UK property owners with complex estates
This is relevant if you:
Own your main residence and one or more UK investment properties
Have a property portfolio (BTL, commercial, or development)
Hold a share portfolio or business interests alongside property
Need to confirm how the UK long-term residence rules and asset location affect inheritance tax scope
Want to reduce inheritance tax exposure legally and properly
Want to understand how divorce, creditors or later family events could affect the intended inheritance
Want control over when and how beneficiaries inherit
Need to compare outright gifts with any legally drafted controls and their costs
These are reasons for a joined-up review, not a test of whether a trust is suitable. Any trust recommendation depends on your objectives, ownership, tax position, costs and legal advice.
Decide the objective before the structure
Ownership, beneficiaries, liquidity and retained control are separate decisions that must work together.
Ownership and control
Confirm who legally owns each property, how it passes and whether income or control needs to be retained. Title, will and any trust terms must be read together.
Tax and liquidity
Model net equity, available allowances and how tax or expenses could be funded. Implementation can also involve capital-gains, income, stamp-duty and trust-tax questions for the responsible advisers.
Beneficiaries and timing
Decide who should benefit, when and what should happen if family circumstances change. The legal options and trade-offs can then be compared without assuming a trust is the answer.
How This Works in Practice
Illustrative scenarios and the questions they raise
What's Included
Comprehensive asset and family review
Trust structure design (tailored to your situation)
UK wills with embedded trust provisions
Trustee selection and governance framework
Letter of wishes for trustees
Clear documentation for family and advisers
How the Process Works
Initial Consultation
Speak directly with Imran about the property, family and tax questions and whether further review would be useful.
Free initial consultation
Estate Analysis & Proposal
The agreed fact-finding and analysis compares the relevant options. You receive the written scope and fixed Repton fee before paid work begins.
Agreed scope and fee
Agreed implementation
Commissioned document work and any legal, tax or regulated input are coordinated with the responsible professionals.
Responsibilities made clear
Completion & Review
Repton helps put the agreed actions into effect and records what is complete, what remains with another professional and any agreed review point.
Agreed follow-up
Timing depends on the agreed scope and any external professional work; it is confirmed before implementation begins.
International Assets?
Assets overseas or beneficiaries abroad? I coordinate with local lawyers to ensure your UK and international planning aligns.
Learn more about cross-border coordinationWhat You Achieve With Proper Estate Planning
Greater inheritance tax Efficiency
Significant reduction in inheritance tax exposure using legitimate trusts, reliefs and structures, within HMRC rules.
Asset Protection
Trust provisions may affect exposure to later family or financial events, but outcomes are fact-specific and cannot be guaranteed.
Multi-Generational Control
Drafting can set out how trustees should manage assets across immediately and over time, subject to the trust terms and their duties.
Control Over Timing
Appropriate trust terms can specify ages, conditions or trustee discretion; a solicitor should confirm the legal effect.
Fair & Flexible
Structure can adapt as family circumstances, tax laws, or beneficiary needs change.
Peace of Mind
Confidence that your property portfolio is properly structured, protected and aligned with your wishes.
Don't Forget Lasting Powers of Attorney
Protect yourself while you're alive
Trust-structured wills protect your assets after death. But what if you lose mental capacity before then?
Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) let you choose who manages your finances and health decisions if you can't. Without them, your family faces court applications and delays.
We draft LPAs alongside your estate planning. A Single LPA is £499 and both LPAs per person are £799. OPG registration fees are separate at the prevailing rate.
Learn more about LPAsTransparent Pricing
Fixed fees, no hourly rates, no surprises
Family Protection
for a couple
Includes:
Suitable for: Most property portfolios
Complex
per additional trust
When you need:
Add-on to the Family Protection package
Optional Add-Ons
inheritance tax & Succession Planning
Three fixed estate-value bands
£2,995 / £5,995 / £9,995
Estate & inheritance tax Advisory Review
Optional from the first anniversary
£995 a year
The initial consultation is free. Any recommended paid work, scope and Repton fee are set out separately before it begins.
Common Questions
Why Property Owners Choose This Approach
Qualified & Experienced
Over 20 years in financial services, including regulated financial advice from 2006. Holder of the CII Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning, with specialist training in trust structures and inheritance tax planning.
Independent & Transparent
No product sales. No AUM fees. No investment management. Fixed-fee estate planning only. £2M professional indemnity insurance covering all UK work.
Trusted by Professionals
Work with financial advisers, property professionals, accountants and solicitors across the UK. Reputation built on delivery, clarity and integrity.
Ready to Protect Your Property Portfolio?
Speak directly with Imran about your property, family and inheritance tax priorities. There is no obligation to proceed.
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