Raine & Horne executive chairman Angus Raine issued a reminder to all property investors that they should be completing a tax depreciation schedule in order to claim deductions before the end of the financial year.

“Research suggests 80 per cent of landlords fail to claim the maximum depreciation deductions available from their investment property,” says Mr Raine.

“Potentially these investors are missing out on thousands of dollars each year, even though the costs of a depreciation schedule, which are usually between $650 and $700, are 100 per cent tax deductible.”

According to Mr Raine, investors can claim non average between $5,000 and $10,000 in depreciation deductions in the first financial year alone.

Investors can claim between 10 per cent and 20 per cent against the values of a variety of depreciable items including carpets, blinds, hot water systems, air conditioners, cook tops and smoke alarms.

Landlords can also claim 2.5 per cent of the cost of the building structure annually if construction of the property commenced after 15 September 1987.

However BMT Tax Depreciation CEO Bradley Beer said that investors who bought or built new houses or apartments often gain the most.

“One important benefit that new homes offer investors is considerable capital depreciation, with up to 60 per cent of the purchase price potentially tax-deductible over the life of the property,” Mr Beer said.

“As a rule, the newer the property, the more an investor can claim, making purchasing a near-new house or apartment potentially more worthwhile, in a taxation sense, than an established home, at least for the first five or so years of ownership.”