"UT just a question put the properties in trust if multiple,would one not then have to pay stamp duty for the transfer?"
Yes Prosper if you transfer existing property you own into a trust you will be liable for stamp duty. Any time ownership changes except by court order in which case an exemption may apply you will find you will be liable for stamp duty.
The key advantages of trusts are: 1) Allows you to stream income to multiple people to reduce tax. 2) Reduces land tax liability by spreading your portfolio over multiple entities. 3) Can reduce your legal liability somewhat as it is the trustee that gets sued not the trust so the trustee can be fired and a new one put in its place - always good to have a company as trustee and you can then be the sole director of the company.
Key downsides of trusts: 1) No CGT discounts 2) Another entity that has it's own tax return, so if you use an accountant then there are additional costs. That said doing a trust tax return is not hard. Additionally if you use a company as trustee you will also have to do a tax return for it as well but since it is basically a shell company that does nothing but be a trustee its tax return is a real no brainer. 3) A little more complicated to get finance for your properties held within as your company/trust structure needs to be vetted by the bank.
