A common issue that arises is dealing with insurance companies over the names on insurance policies. Technically, insurance should held in the name of the owners of a property.
In the case of a trust, the legal owner on the title of a property is the trustee/s (while the beneficial owner is the beneficiaries). Clients tend to say “ the owner is the trust”, for example the “Smith Family Trust”. Assuming the trustees are Mary & John Smith and an independent trustee called XYZ Trustee Limited, the better description is “Mary Smith, John Smith and XYZ Trustees Limited as Trustees of the Smith Family Trust”. That's a bit wordy, so alternatively the shorter version of “Mary Smith, John Smith and XYZ Trustees Limited” will legally suffice.
A minute referring to the existence of the insurance policy or life policy in such circumstances, prepared and signed by the trustees, is prudent.We just want to say that with these being the first set of accounts to be prepared for us by GRA, we are very happy with the outcome, and really feel like we are getting the support, guidance and advice that we have spent many years looking for, but only found with yourself and GRA, so thank you for that. We are very happy with the property focus and resources available with GRA to help us move ahead with our Property investment goals too.
- Mike and Annalise, November 2020
Gilligan Rowe and Associates is a chartered accounting firm specialising in property, asset planning, legal structures, taxation and compliance.
We help new, small and medium property investors become long-term successful investors through our education programmes and property portfolio planning advice. With our deep knowledge and experience, we have assisted hundreds of clients build wealth through property investment.
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