New queries, issue 4538

Before and after life

How is rental income on property assessed after the landlord dies?

My late client was entitled to the rent of two properties.

The property agents collected the rent a month in advance and remitted it to him deducting their fees as is normal. So in the month before he died the client received payments that related partly to the period before his death and partly to the period after it.

My understanding is that these days rental income is assessed on an accruals basis.

Does that therefore mean that I should work out the proportion of those last receipts (less associated expenses) that ‘belong’ after the date of death and report them as income of the personal representatives?

Or should I make it very straightforward and simply account for receipts and payments up to the date of death on the deceased ...