Finance Act 1988

43 Home improvement loans

(1) In relation to payments of interest made on or after 6th April 1988 section 355 of the Taxes Act 1988 (limitations on relief for loans for purchase or improvement of land etc.) shall have effect with the insertion of the following subsections after subsection (2)—

“(2A) Section 354 shall not apply by virtue of subsection (1)(a) above where the interest is paid on a home improvement loan unless the loan was made before 6th April 1988.

(2B) In subsection (2A) above “home improvement loan” means—

(a) a loan to defray money applied in improving or developing land or buildings on land, otherwise than by the erection of a new building (which is not part of an existing residence) on land which immediately before the improvement or development began had no building on it, or

(b) a loan replacing (whether directly or indirectly) a loan within paragraph (a) above.

(2C) Where it is proved by written evidence that a loan made on or after 6th April 1988 was made in pursuance of an offer made by the lender before that date and that the offer either was in writing or was evidenced by a note or memorandum made by the lender before that date, the loan shall be deemed for the purposes of subsection (2A) above to have been made before that date.”

(2) In relation to payments of interest made on or after 6th April 1988 section 356 of the Taxes Act 1988 (job-related accommodation) shall have effect with the insertion of the following subsection after subsection (1)—

“(1A) Subsection (1) above shall not apply where the interest is paid on a home improvement loan (as defined in section 355(2B)) unless the loan was made before 6th April 1988; and section 355(2C) shall have effect for the purposes of this subsection as for those of section 355(2A).”

(3) Interest paid by a housing association on a home improvement loan made on or after 6th April 1988 shall not be relevant loan interest for the purposes of Part IX of the Taxes Act 1988; and for the purposes of this subsection—

(a) “housing association” means a housing association for the time being approved for the purposes of section 488 of that Act or a self-build society for the time being approved for the purposes of section 489,

(b) “home improvement loan” has the same meaning as in subsection (2B) of section 355 of that Act, and

(c) subsection (2C) of that section shall have effect as it does for the purposes of subsection (2A) of that section.