Can I claim a lock-up, storage unit or tool hire as a business expense?

Can I claim a lock-up, storage unit or tool hire as a business expense? Yes. In 2026-27, rent, rates, insurance and power on a lock-up or storage unit used for the business are allowable, and in our reading so is tool and plant hire. Only the business share of mixed-use storage counts. Yes, if it is used for the business. GOV.UK lists rent for business premises as an allowable cost, and the tax return notes put it in the box for rent, rates, power and insurance costs. Only the business part. The law allows a deduction for an identifiable part or proportion of a cost used wholly for the trade, and the tax return notes say the non-business part is disallowable. Possibly a share. HMRC's manual says that where part of your home is used solely for the trade, part of the household costs can be deducted, normally split by area and time. You cannot charge rent to your own business. Read the full answer, with every source, at rightotax.co.uk.