Summary of IAS 40

Definition of investment property

Investment property is property (land or a building or part of a building or both)

held (by the owner or by the lessee under a finance lease) to earn rentals or for
capital appreciation or both. [IAS 40.5]

Examples of investment property: [IAS 40.8]

land held for long-term capital appreciation land held for a currently
undetermined future use building leased out under an operating lease vacant
building held to be leased out under an operating lease property that is being
constructed or developed for future use as investment property

The following are not investment property and, therefore, are outside the scope
of IAS 40: [IAS 40.5 and 40.9]

property held for use in the production or supply of goods or services or for
administrative purposes property held for sale in the ordinary course of business
or in the process of construction of development for such sale (IAS 2 Inventories)
property being constructed or developed on behalf of third parties (IAS 11
Construction Contracts) owner-occupied property (IAS 16 Property, Plant and
Equipment), including property held for future use as owner-occupied property,
property held for future development and subsequent use as owner-occupied
property, property occupied by employees and owner-occupied property awaiting
disposal property leased to another entity under a finance lease

In May 2008, as part of its Annual improvements project, the IASB expanded the
scope of IAS 40 to include property under construction or development for future
use as an investment property. Such property previously fell within the scope of
IAS 16.
Other classification issues

Property held under an operating lease. A property interest that is held by a

lessee under an operating lease may be classified and accounted for as
investment property provided that: [IAS 40.6]

the rest of the definition of investment property is met the operating lease is
accounted for as if it were a finance lease in accordance with IAS 17 Leases the
lessee uses the fair value model set out in this Standard for the asset recognised

An entity may make the foregoing classification on a property-by-property basis.

Partial own use. If the owner uses part of the property for its own use, and part to
earn rentals or for capital appreciation, and the portions can be sold or leased out
separately, they are accounted for separately. Therefore the part that is rented
out is investment property. If the portions cannot be sold or leased out
separately, the property is investment property only if the owner-occupied
portion is insignificant. [IAS 40.10]