Bookkeeping for property developers
Developers carry large sums across several projects at once. The books need to show each project's costs, finance and expected profit, not just the total.
- Flat £15 an hour
- No contract
- Qualified UK team
- Pay online in minutes
Bookkeeping for property developers
Your price
4 hours at £15
£60
Set-up fee£0
ContractNone
Regulated firm
Qualified team
Qualified team
Certified advisor
ProAdvisor- FreeAgentSupported software
- 4.9 out of 5300+ Google reviews
The short answer
What does bookkeeping for property developers involve?
Bookkeeping for property developers means keeping purchase and legal costs by property, contractor and materials invoices, development loan statements and the rest of your records accurate and reconciled. At £15 an hour, a typical small developer with two live projects (about 100 transactions a month) needs about 4 hours a month, which is around £60.
What makes these books different.
Every sector has its own records and rules. These are the ones that matter for property developers.
Project by project
Each scheme needs its own costs, funding and margin tracked from purchase to sale.
Trading, not investing
Property bought to sell is trading stock, which is treated differently from property held to rent.
Development finance
Interest, fees and drawdowns need recording, often rolled up and repaid on sale.
CIS as contractor
Paying subcontractors makes you a contractor under the scheme with monthly returns to file.
£15
an hour, flat
£60
a month for a typical small developer with two live projects
4h
of bookkeeping a month, about 100 transactions a month
0
contract, stop whenever you like
Records we keep for you.
- Purchase and legal costs by property
- Contractor and materials invoices
- Development loan statements
- Professional fees
- Sales completion statements
- CIS returns and verification
Rules worth knowing.
VAT on new builds
The first sale of a new dwelling is generally zero rated, which affects VAT recovery on costs.
Stock valuation
Work in progress is valued at cost, so costs must be allocated to the right project.
CIS
As a contractor you must verify subcontractors, deduct tax and file monthly returns.
General information, not tax advice. Rules change, so check GOV.UK or ask your accountant. Last reviewed November 2026.
A typical month.
A small developer with two live projects with about 100 transactions a month, VAT registered. Here is the time it takes and what it costs.
- Core bookkeeping (31 - 100)3h
- Limited company extras0.5h
- VAT-ready books (MTD)0.5h
Each month
£60
Where this sector is most common.
Using ONS business counts for 2026, construction is the biggest share of local businesses in these places. We serve all of them online.
- Portsmouth26% of local businesses, 1.4 times the UK share, about 1,565 firms
- Plymouth25% of local businesses, 1.4 times the UK share, about 1,560 firms
- Sutton25% of local businesses, 1.3 times the UK share, about 2,080 firms
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole24% of local businesses, 1.3 times the UK share, about 3,770 firms
- Luton23% of local businesses, 1.2 times the UK share, about 1,850 firms
- Lincoln23% of local businesses, 1.2 times the UK share, about 585 firms
Clients say it better than we do.
4.9300+ Google reviews of Accotax
“He took the time to explain every step of the process and made a complex situation much easier to understand.”
Hugo Alvarez
Google review of Accotax
“They take the time to understand how our business works and what our needs are.”
Mael Leboucher
Google review of Accotax
“Very prompt in responding to questions and patient with us even when we seem to be slow.”
Mansur Liman
Google review of Accotax
“The work was completed promptly, my tax return was successfully filed.”
Sergey M
Google review of Accotax
property developers: your questions.
Can you report by project?
Yes. We code every cost and receipt to a project so you can see budget against actual for each scheme.
Related sectors.
- Construction and tradesCIS deductions, reverse-charge VAT and job costing for builders and tradespeople.
- Taxi and private hire driversMulti-platform income, vehicle costs and mileage for taxi and private hire drivers.
- Farms and agricultureSeasonal income, subsidies, livestock and the farmers' flat rate scheme.
- Holiday lets and Airbnb hostsPlatform payouts, cleaning costs and property income rules for holiday let owners.
- Cleaning companiesRecurring contracts, supplies, subcontractors and payroll for cleaning businesses.
- Haulage and transportFuel cards, driver pay, vehicle finance and operator costs for hauliers.
Not sure where your books stand?
Free bookkeeping health check
Tell us where your books are at. A bookkeeper reviews it and tells you what needs fixing and what it would cost, free.
Books for property developers, sorted.
See your exact price in about a minute and pay securely online.
Prefer a call? We will ring you.
Leave your details and a bookkeeper calls at a time that suits you.
Rather pick the time yourself? Open the booking calendar