Question about repairs/redecorating after end of tenancy

Hi, I've been renting my flat out to tenants and am now going to sell. After the tenants left, I had to arrange some redecorating and repairs, which we waited to complete until the tenants left, because it would have disrupted the tenants. (For example – repainting the kitchen floor, painting in the bedrooms, and painting and grouting in the bathroom/shower.) I have a couple of questions: 1. As I'll be selling the flat, is it possible to deduct the repair/redecorating costs against the rental income previously received? 2. If that's not possible, can I offset the cost of these works against my capital gains tax instead? If so, what kind of deductible category/expense would that fall under, since the work done involved repairs & redecorating? Thanks for your help.

Hi ,
 

1) No because any income and expenses have to be occurred wholly & exclusively for the rental business. 2) No here is a list of the costs that you can deduct for capital gains tax purposes: CG15250 - Expenditure: incidental costs of acquisition and disposal   . This is how you calculate the gain: Tax when you sell property There is no category those repair/expenses would fall under.  You get you money back by increasing the sale price of your flat.  For example your flat might be worth £190,000 but if you spend £5,000 redecorating and replacing items on a like for like basis you might be able to sell the flat for £195,000.  Recuperating your expenses and leaving a nicer flat for the new owners to enjoy. Thank you .