Chattel depreciation payback

Our Experts Answer:

When disposing of the property you should always recognise that the chattels are separate items from the land and buildings and just because there is appreciation in the latter does not mean the chattels have risen in value. The law requires them to be disposed of "at market value".

This often means their values are at or below book value and no recovery is required. If items have previously been disposed of for no value the chattels should be disposed of at a zero value and a loss on disposal of their residual book value claimed.

By rights you should have been consistent and depreciated their replacements but it is a minor matter.