Self-Managed Super Funds
Investment decisions and rules
In-house assets
If an SMSF makes a loan to, an investment in or leases an asset to a related party this will be defined as an ‘in-house asset’.
Provided no other rules are breached these transactions are allowed, but the total value of all in-house assets cannot exceed 5% of the fund’s total market value.
Note: leases of business real property are permitted and excluded from this limit.
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Example Anton has an SMSF with $1 million balance. He makes a decision as trustee of the SMSF to buy an investment property for $600,000. It is rented for short-lease holiday rentals through a real estate agent. Anton and his family want to rent the property personally for 2 weeks of the year at commercial rates of rent. The rent/lease of this property will create an in-house asset and will breach SMSF rules. As the value of the property represents 60% of Anton’s SMSF (rather than the 5% in-house assets threshold allowed), renting the property will breach the in-house asset limit and penalties will apply, even though he only rents the property for a short timeframe. The provision of benefits to members of the SMSF arising from renting the property is also likely to breach the sol purpose test. |
