Tax Dodging Neighbours

[CrochetQueeen]

Lived next door to some people for a number of years, one of them is director for a construction company that deal with large contracts, not your typical residential local builder type. No problem there but they continuously have the workers of that company doing jobs on the house and I mean continuously, decorating same rooms again and again, new patio every few years, every type of building job really, constant replastering, rendering even small jobs. At first just thought fair enough as you want to put your own stamp on your house but it's starting to seem a bit weird when there are never many weeks where they don't have someone doing something for years now. Starting to wonder if this is a tax dodge or just a perk of having employees do whatever your want to your house whenever. It's pretty irritating to live next to in all honesty!

Maybe they pay people for their hours regardless so when quiet they get them out to do stuff. Or possibly some are trainees/ apprenticeships and practicing get things done on an actual property before they work on site.

How could it be a tax dodge? 🤔

Possibly not declaring it as some sort of benefit in kind?

Not sure it's necessarily a tax dodge. If there is a gap between jobs and their salaried employees have say a few days spare with no job (but being paid etc) then I think I may ask them to paint a few things in my house. Presumably the employees are salaried and taxed etc as appropriate and the business pays tax as appropriate. I would assume for building etc some tax issues are likely to be more from working at weekend cash in hand on other people's property. Could employees be learning new techniques (eg painting) as well?

They might all just be doing favours for them.

I have a friend whose husband works in construction and they seem to get everything in their house done as a favourite by the contractors that work for him.

Presumably the contractor is making good money off your neighbour, so happy to come and do their wallpapering or whatever for free.

When a relative of mine was in this position, he was invoiced in the normal way and paid up. Why are you so interested?

If you find it irritating then work is actually happening. Yet you believe it’s somehow a tax dodge? It’s far more likely to be updating something for the company website photos or just because they want to.

@fluffiphlox mostly because it's annoying and I don't get it. Like I said there aren't many weeks without something and it's been 5 years

My dad always had these 3 guys come from work and do work on the house and and gardening, decorating and alsorts - this was back in the 80's. They were like part of the family, they were always there.

I’d assume these are employees paid for their time regardless of whether there is work to do for clients so the boss is keeping them busy. Could also be for training or just practice.

They don't seem to be contractors or starting out employees getting experience and not using for promotion. They don't do the same sort of jobs professionally i.e you couldn't call up the company to do a patio. They also really drag out the jobs, so 2 months to replace a patio with a few workers just hanging around all day. Well, seems like IBU and I suppose it doesn't matter so much if they're paying or writing it off, just finding it a bit weird

I’d be looking to become BFFs with them - there’s more than enough needs doing at mine!

They don't do the same sort of jobs professionally i.e you couldn't call up the company to do a patio.

But presumably the houses they build might incorporate patios?

Work noise or mess i get annoying but if is it a tax dodge is none of your business, I mean calll the police and report the neighbours are doing something dodgy if it helps but what does it make a difference to you?

It's just annoying to you because of the constant noise and disruption. I get you're trying to rack your brains to think of a way you can get them to stop doing it...but essentially it's none of your business what their tax affairs are.
I don't really know what you can do about it unless they're making noise after normal hours.

That's a mighty stretch!

My stepdad worked in a similar field. He spent at least half of his working week doing jobs on his boss’ properties. He was paid a full time wage, and if there was no ‘actual’ work, there was always something to be done there. I always remembering saying the family were on something like their third new kitchen in less than 10 years. They just redid it whenever they got bored with it.

@AbzMoz they're not actually very good, did I miss that bit! Typical quality you see in a modern new build. We've had some party walls with problems

We had a large wrap around double storey extension done 2 years ago

Landscaping

I have had a constant stream of trades and deliveries since then - I still have a lot to do but smaller jobs

It is my dream home and forever home and I love interiors so I’ve had a lot of decorating done in 7years some areas twice

Maybe they just like to keep on top of trends and keep the work flowing for their staff

I'm not going to report them for anything and it would be nice if they stopped at least for a few months, I suppose I was looking for an explanation and maybe hope that they're not going to be doing this forever. It's not any of my business but does get wearing having strangers around all the time. Even yesterday hanging my washing out there was someone on the roof. Anyway helpful @DontCallMeKidDontCallMeBaby thanks

I have two very wealthy friends. They literally never stop having work done on their houses. It’s constant. Small jobs, major revamps, you name it, it’s been, being or going to be done.

The main tax dodge would be that the costs of the paint, fixtures, etc, are not coming out of their personal pockets, but the company's.

I had a client in the construction industry that attempted to hide his own house refurbishment within the company's records. I picked it up during my work because the invoices had his home address on as delivery address, rather than the massive building sites they usually worked on.

But the OP has no idea if that is what is happening, but has specifically chosen to name the thread Tax Dodging Neighbour. In any case if the building or part of it is used as a company office address they'd be able to write some of it off based on Use of Home, but the OP wouldn't know if they were doing that either. Either way, seems a bit of stretch.

So not only do you know if you have tax dodging neighbours you don't even know if what they are doing constitutes a tax dodge.

Cool thread title

Why not the labour ?

I'm fairly confident that if a business provided a cleaner to an employee that would be classed as a benefit in kind.