By Ross Martin, Accountancy Director at Hive Business

Is the true owner of the land the lord who never visits his estate or the groundsman who wanders the meadows every day, tending the flora and enjoying the first warm light of spring?

If you live in the UK there can be only one answer. If there’s such a thing as a British dream, it’s to own the roof over your head; or as many roofs as possible.

This seems a bit odd if you’re a foreigner, but perhaps it’s because we invented capitalism and speculation. We are committed, pathologically at times, to borrowing money and spending what we don’t have to own things.

We think of people who don’t aspire to buy their own home as eccentric, even when the price of houses has got so high that saving a big enough deposit effectively rules out eating out for all of your 20s and most of your 30s (assuming you are lucky). On the continent, where they have a life, no one would put up with this, but we can’t take our eyes off the prize.

I suppose it’s understandable given that since interest rates were cut in 2009 mortgage payments have fallen to record lows. Anyone on a tracker with a biggish mortgage will have been pinching themselves when the base rate went down again to 0.25% the other day.

But let’s step back a little. I think something is changing in terms of our approach to assets. We’re beginning to enjoy resources that were once out of reach through sharing (temporarily at least) homes and cars via apps like AirBnB and finance products like PCP.

With AirBnB you get to live in your own villa with a pool when you go to Ibiza instead of a having to fork out for a really expensive hotel. With PCP you get to drive around a brand new car and change it whenever you want, even though you’d be hard pressed to stump up enough cash to buy one that nice off the forecourt.

Casting off the financial shackles of ownership is liberating us and there are other ways we can do it too. There are tax savings you can make with the capital tied up in your assets; you can turn the capital in your dental practice building into a pension or trust and still continue to use it. It takes a little confidence at first, just like PCP did, but it can change your life in a much bigger way.

That’s right, there are ways to hold property, even residential property, with many significant tax savings for you, but you may have to look outside your own familiar back yard. It’s difficult for us Brits and perhaps that’s why we’ve started small, but we’re on the way.

If you want to release funds for a decent pension or another investment vehicle you can, only first you’ll need to square the fear of relinquishing ownership of your assets. Get in touch on 01872 300232 or email us at hello@hivebusiness.co.uk.