Question re business expense/benefit in kind - CCTV costs for residence/home office

[Wanderer]

Anything, even false boxes will make a random burglar think twice and go next door where they have nothing. Particularly if there is a spate going on. If you leave your stuff in view to make it worth his while regardless of camera's, well, you are beyond help I agree.

Yeah, put up some fake boxes and save yourself the money. The crims will cover their faces these days anyway. I can't help but wonder if the two laptops could be taken into the house when you aren't working too.

As for alarms, I'd have a silent one for the garden - that way I could catch the toe rag in action and if he was bigger than me I could call the cops.

[xoggoth]

[QUOTE]installed on their home forget to use it, particularly at night - your random burglar will know this tooQUOTE]

Not what was said on a BBC crime program I saw last week. They said burglars tend to avoid houses with alarms. True, they may not be switched on but when there are so many with no alarms why would they take the risk?

Your house insurance may not cover business equipment, worth checking what policy says. Probably best to ask this rather specialised question on accountingweb.

[xoggoth]

PS £900 seems an awful lot, you should get a reliable setup for under £300. Just search CUK for CCTV Wilmslow.

[Greg@CapitalCity]

Looks OK

You have clearly given this some thought, and because your home office is in the garden shed it makes it easy to show the equipment is directly related to the protection of your IT equipment (unless of course you have some very expensive imported palm trees in your backyard you have not told us about).

Just to be sure, make sure you buy the equipment in the name of your business, and pay for it directly from the business bank account.

[northernladuk]

You have clearly given this some thought, and because your home office is in the garden shed it makes it easy to show the equipment is directly related to the protection of your IT equipment (unless of course you have some very expensive imported palm trees in your backyard you have not told us about).

Just to be sure, make sure you buy the equipment in the name of your business, and pay for it directly from the business bank account.

It is still his property whether it is a hut outside or a room. It makes no difference. The equipment is to cover his house in the main and his office space in the minor so is dual use. This won't fly. By that same logic I can pay for my house alarm because there is a PiR sensor in my office room???

Do you tell people what they want to hear and fudge the system or the reality?

[PinkPoshRat]

Not what was said on a BBC crime program I saw last week. They said burglars tend to avoid houses with alarms. True, they may not be switched on but when there are so many with no alarms why would they take the risk?

Why would they take the risk? Well, because most of them have a drug dependency. They burgle homes in order to feed their habits. They will know that even if an alarm bell rings, they have a good few minutes to grab any stuff and bolt off. There's a higher chance that the house with the burglar alarm has better pickings inside as opposed to the house with the shabby front door and no alarm.

Also, the way in which our police forces 'count' crime statistics is a complete farce. Never believe any statistical survey because some crimes are not counted unless they have been reported to police on more than one occasion Some crimes are not even recorded for stats eek

...and don't get me started on my 'criminal justice' rant...

[Greg@CapitalCity]

It is still his property whether it is a hut outside or a room. It makes no difference. The equipment is to cover his house in the main and his office space in the minor so is dual use. This won't fly. By that same logic I can pay for my house alarm because there is a PiR sensor in my office room???

Do you tell people what they want to hear and fudge the system or the reality?

From the information I read the equipment is used 100% to protect his business owned assets - not the house, and not the shed where he keeps it. If that is the PRIMARY purpose to buying the CCTV equipment, then yes. If its just to protect his house and shed, in which there just happens to be the business equipment, then no.

[northernladuk]

Why would they take the risk? Well, because most of them have a drug dependency. They burgle homes in order to feed their habits. They will know that even if an alarm bell rings, they have a good few minutes to grab any stuff and bolt off. There's a higher chance that the house with the burglar alarm has better pickings inside as opposed to the house with the shabby front door and no alarm.

Also, the way in which our police forces 'count' crime statistics is a complete farce. Never believe any statistical survey because some crimes are not counted unless they have been reported to police on more than one occasion Some crimes are not even recorded for stats eek

...and don't get me started on my 'criminal justice' rant...

Higher pickings with a house that has alarms? I don't think so. People are lazy about getting alarms and burglars are more than aware of that. They also know what a nice house on average street has from the number of windows they looked in. Burglars that feed drug habits are opportunist thieves as well. They are the ones MOST likely to be put of by an alarm/camera. It is the ones that steal to order that are going to get in whatever you have protecting the house and will have already listed what you have weeks/months before.

[LisaContractorUmbrella]

From the information I read the equipment is used 100% to protect his business owned assets - not the house, and not the shed where he keeps it. If that is the PRIMARY purpose to buying the CCTV equipment, then yes. If its just to protect his house and shed, in which there just happens to be the business equipment, then no.

It may be that the intention is that the camera is to protect the equipment contained within the outbuilding but the fact is that it is protecting the building itself

[xoggoth]

Certainly don't know for sure but can't see why, if genuinely installed to protect business equipment, it is not allowable.

The fact that it could have other uses is not relevant, this wholly and exclusively thing is often misunderstood. For example, if you do not already have broadband and have to install it in your home for work use, it is not disallowed simply because you could use it personally.

Employment income: household expenses: broadband internet charges

The rule really covers the other way round, if you already have something for personal use, you cannot then claim for business use if it it does not actually cost you any extra.