THE PROBLEM

Most people only find out what they overpaid after they've already sold.

I review Capital Gains Tax before the disposal happens — while the reliefs that could reduce your bill are still legally available to you.

Filing a tax return is the easy part. It's routine, it's quick, and it's a straightforward part of a general practice's workload. Actively reviewing your Capital Gains Tax position for every legal relief available is a different job entirely — it takes time, deeper technical knowledge, and a willingness to dig for ways to reduce what you owe, not just calculate it.

Think of it like healthcare. You wouldn't ask a GP to perform heart surgery — you'd go to a cardiac specialist, someone who does nothing else, day in and day out, and knows every technique to get the best outcome. Tax works the same way. A general accountant can file your return perfectly correctly. But finding every legal route to reduce what you owe is a specialist's job.

That's not a criticism of general practice accountants — it's simply not where their time or expertise is focused. CGT planning rewards depth, not breadth — knowing which reliefs apply to your specific situation, which elections need to be made before a disposal, and which timing decisions can legally move you into a lower bracket. I've spent my career in that one discipline.

WHY THIS IS DIFFERENT

Depth beats breadth

Your accountant is very good at a lot of things. Capital Gains Tax planning, in most practices, is one line item among many — reviewed, calculated, filed.

I only work on Capital Gains Tax. That depth is the difference between a return that's correct and a disposal that's properly planned — built entirely on legislation and reliefs HMRC itself recognises.

One specialism

No VAT, no payroll, no distractions — just Capital Gains Tax, in depth.

Before you sell

Reviewed pre-disposal, while your legal options are still open.

Fully compliant

Every route is a legitimate, HMRC-recognised relief or election.

ABOUT

A CGT Specialist. Decades in the detail. One specialism.

My name's Charles Hartley, and for most of my career I've focused specifically on Capital Gains Tax — working directly with HMRC on behalf of clients on some of the most complex disposals you can face: property portfolios, business sales, shareholdings, inherited assets, and second homes.

Over the years, that's meant sitting across the table from HMRC more times than I can count, understanding not just what the legislation says, but how it's actually applied, interpreted, and negotiated in practice. That's the part you don't learn from a textbook — you learn it from doing it, case after case, for years.

I built this practice because I kept meeting people — often after they'd already sold — who'd paid tens of thousands of pounds more than they needed to, simply because nobody had asked the right questions before the disposal happened.

By the time a general accountant sees your figures, most of your legal options have already closed. My job is to get involved before that happens.

WHAT THIS ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE

Every legal route. Nothing grey. Nothing risky.

Everything I do is built entirely on legitimate, HMRC-recognised reliefs and legal structuring. Depending on your situation, that can include:

Making sure every available allowance and relief is actually being used

Timing disposals across tax years to your advantage

Structuring transfers between spouses or civil partners before a sale

Reviewing eligibility for Private Residence Relief and Business Asset Disposal Relief

Offsetting gains against losses clients often forget they're entitled to use

Advising on reinvestment relief where it applies

TIMING

Once contracts exchange, some options disappear for good.

Some of the most valuable reliefs and elections have to be actioned before contracts exchange. Once a sale completes, several of your legal options close permanently.

Second property

Business sale

Shares / portfolio

Inherited asset

IN CLIENTS' WORDS

What people say about us...

CONFIDENTIAL & FREE

Get your free capital gains review

No obligation. No cost to talk. I respond to every enquiry personally.

Full name

Email address

Phone

What are you selling?

Estimated value

When are you looking to sell?

Anything else you'd like me to know? 

Your details are kept completely confidential and are never shared or sold.

PROCESS

How it works

01

Fill in a few details

Takes under a minute, no commitment attached.

02

I review it personally

Every enquiry, no exceptions.

03

You get a call back

A clear picture of what's worth exploring, no pressure.

QUESTIONS

Before you get in touch

My accountant already handles my tax return — why do I need this?

Is this just tax avoidance?

What if I've already sold?

Is it just you, or is there a team?

How do I get in touch?

Before you sell, get a second opinion from someone who only does this.

Capital Gains Specialist— decades focused solely on Capital Gains Tax.

Capital Gains Tax Specialist— decades of experience finding every legal route to reduce what you owe.

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Get in touch

12 Old Bond Street 

London

WS1 4PW

© 2026 Clear Gains. All rights reserved. 

Get a second opinion on your Capital Gains Tax — free, confidential, no obligation.

“I didn’t realise how much there was to consider”

I contacted Clear Gains before selling my investment property because I wanted to understand the potential Capital Gains Tax first. 

They went through the property history and costs with me and explained what could be taken into account. It gave me a much clearer idea of where I stood before going ahead.

— James S, with permission

“Definitely worth getting advice”

I was planning to sell an investment property and wasn’t sure what the tax implications would be. Clear Gains went through my situation and explained the potential gain and relevant reliefs. It was really helpful having everything explained before making the decision to sell.

— Muhammad K, with permission

Most accountants are excellent generalists, and there's no need to replace them. This isn't about your annual return — it's a specialist second look at one specific decision: how a disposal is structured and timed. Many clients keep their existing accountant and simply bring me in for the CGT side.

No. Everything is based on legislation and reliefs that HMRC itself recognises — the same reliefs that exist for exactly this purpose, but are frequently under-used because most returns aren't reviewed with CGT specifically in mind.

Some options close once a sale completes, but not all of them — certain elections and claims can still be made retrospectively. It's always worth a conversation before assuming it's too late.

I started this practice alone, working every case myself. It grew from there — not by design, but because demand for specialist Capital Gains Tax advice kept increasing, to the point where I could no longer take on every enquiry single-handedly. That's the only reason there's a team at all. Each person was trained directly by me, to the same standard I hold myself to, so growing the practice never meant lowering it. And my involvement hasn't changed: I personally review every case that comes through, including yours. The team exists so we can meet demand without cutting corners — not so your case gets handed off and forgotten.

For a Capital Gains Tax review, the quickest route is the form above — it goes straight to me. For anything else, email is best at info@clear-gains.co.uk. We don't publish a phone number on the site, simply because of the volume of calls that generates; if we decide to take you on as a client, you'll be given a direct number to reach us.

“They picked up things I hadn’t thought about”

I contacted Clear Gains before selling because I wanted to make sure I understood the tax position. They asked about the property and costs I’d incurred and picked up a few things I hadn’t considered. I’m glad I got advice before going ahead rather than trying to work it out afterwards.

— Sally W, with permission

“Everything was explained clearly”

Capital Gains Tax was something I knew very little about, so I contacted Clear Gains before selling my property. They explained how the calculation worked and what costs and reliefs could be relevant to me. It made the whole thing much easier to understand.

— Kulvinderjit S, with permission

“It took a lot of the worry away”

I was considering selling a property and was worried about being hit with a large tax bill. Clear Gains looked at my situation before I made the decision to sell and explained what the likely position would be. Having that information upfront gave me a lot more confidence.

— Paolo S, with permission

“I wish I’d got advice sooner”

I was already thinking about selling my property when I contacted Clear Gains. They explained the potential Capital Gains Tax, what records I should keep and what reliefs might apply. The advice was straightforward and made me feel much more prepared for the sale.

— Waheed A, with permission

“I hadn’t realised how complicated it could be”

I was considering selling my share in a business and wanted to understand the tax implications first. Clear Gains went through the details with me and explained the potential Capital Gains Tax and reliefs that could apply. It was really useful having that clarity before completing the sale.

Individual results will vary

“I finally knew where I stood”

Before selling my business, I contacted Clear Gains to find out what the Capital Gains Tax position might look like. They worked through the figures with me and explained the reliefs that could potentially apply. It meant I could go into the sale knowing what to expect rather than being surprised afterwards.

— Ionut G, with permission

This is just a small fraction of our 1000's of testimonials

In 2025 on average we saved our clients 50% on what their accountant told them they would have to pay.

— Veerat M, with permission