[zesty]

Has anyone bought a drone for gutter inspections (3 story plus, i just use a ladder for normal houses) and put the cost through as a business expense?

[andyM]

Nice try!

[zesty]

Nice try!

Lol it’s actually a serious question!

If it’s used as a business tool, surely it’s an expense?

[andyM]

Nice try!

Lol it’s actually a serious question!

If it’s used as a business tool, surely it’s an expense?

Well I've got a couple of DJI Drones and to be honest in my opinion they're not the ideal tool to use for checking gutters.
There's no zoom on the camera for a start so potentially you could have to get in quite close to the roof to get an accurate inspection, and that increases your chances of impact/collision and your new toy ending up on the ground in bits.
My choice for inspecting gutters would be a camera on the end of a pole.     

[andyM]

Also if you're using a Drone for "commercial purposes" you're supposed have a license and insurance and it aint cheap.

[Missing Link]

I'd just do it, and if you ever get a tax audit, and they disagree, you'll just be asked (told) to refund what you owe.

If you want to be totally honest about it, just apportion an amount against your tax for the proportion of time you'd be using it for work and pleasure.

Something like 10% of time used for work, 90% used for pleasure.  Then that would be 10% of the cost you could use for tax purposes.

Just stick a note in with your paperwork explaining that, so in five years time, you know what you did.

That's how I'd do it, but I'm not a tax accountant, and if I was using it for work for 10% of the time, that would seem fair to me.

[zesty]

Also if you're using a Drone for "commercial purposes" you're supposed have a license and insurance and it aint cheap.

Fair enough 

[Tony dunmall]

Yes we offer a drone service inspection on larger properties with a reduction if work is carried out £45 per hour

And yes fully licensed individual also offer it for building surveys where some building are talk and appraise it you need scaffolding also on crop surveys for farmers but these are very different areas

[andyM]

Yes we offer a drone service inspection on larger properties with a reduction if work is carried out £45 per hour

And yes fully licensed individual also offer it for building surveys where some building are talk and appraise it you need scaffolding also on crop surveys for farmers but these are very different areas

Interesting Tony.
I was working on a rural farmhouse property a few months ago and there was a guy there contracted by Bayer flying a drone up and down the farm field.
Turns out he was 3d mapping the field and by doing so builds up a picture of the crop density.
From the map the farmer and Bayer can then see places where crop yield is dense or thin in the field and reduce or increase the pesticide/chemical to suit with pinpoint accuracy.
Very impressive.