(b) Advise Sergio on the appropriateness of investing in a domestic rental property in vie

Question

(b) Advise Sergio on the appropriateness of investing in a domestic rental property in view of his personal

circumstances and recommend suitable alternative investments giving reasons for your advice. (4 marks)

Answer 1

正确答案：
(b) Sergio’s investments
Sergio aims to leave a substantial asset to his family on his death. Accordingly, in view of his age, he is right to be considering
investing in an asset whose value is unlikely to fall suddenly, such as a domestic rental property. However, it must be
recognised that although the value of land and buildings can usually be relied on to increase over a long period of time, its
value may fall over a shorter period. The only investments that cannot fall in value are cash deposits, although they do, of
course, fall in real terms due to the effects of inflation.
Sergio should consider whether or not he wishes to increase his annual income. The return on capital invested in a domestic
rental property is unlikely to be very high due to the recent increases in property values in the UK. Also, there are likely to be
periods when the house is unoccupied during which no income will be generated. If it is important to Sergio to generate
additional income he should consider other low-risk investments with a more reliable and higher rate of return, for example,
gilt edged stocks, unit trusts and cash deposits.
Sergio must also decide whether it is important to him to be able to access capital quickly, as it is usually not possible to
realise the capital invested in land and buildings at short notice. If this is important, Sergio should consider holding some of
his capital in cash deposits or other liquid investments, eg unit trusts.
Sergio could invest up to ￡7,000 each year in an individual savings account (ISA). A maximum of ￡3,000 can be held as a
cash deposit with the balance invested in quoted shares. The income and gains arising on the funds invested would be
exempt from both income tax and capital gains tax. This would be a relatively low-risk investment and would also be
accessible quickly if required.