Abbreviated Company Accounts - AFFORDABLE PROPERTY SOLUTIONS (DORSET) LIMITED

1Accounting Policies

Basis of measurement and preparation of accounts
The full financial statements, from which these abbreviated accounts have been extracted, have been prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (Effective April 2008).

Turnover policy
Turnover represents amounts chargeable in respect of the sale of goods and services to customers.

Tangible assets depreciation policy
Depreciation is provided on tangible fixed assets so as to write off the cost or valuation, less any estimated residual value, over their expected useful economic life as follows:

Asset class Depreciation method and rate
Motor vehicles 25% reducing balance
Fixtures and fittings 25% reducing balance
Office equipment 25% reducing balance

Other accounting policies
Investment properties
Certain of the company's properties are held for long-term investment. Investment properties are accounted for in accordance with the FRSSE, as follows:

(i) No depreciation is provided in respect of investment properties and they are revalued annually. The surplus or deficit on revaluation is transferred to the revaluation reserve unless a deficit below original cost, or its reversal, on an individual investment property is expected to be permanent, in which case it is recognised in the profit and loss account for the year.

(ii) No depreciation is provided in respect of leasehold investment properties where the lease has over 20 years to run.

This treatment as regards the company's investment properties may be a departure from the requirements of the Companies Act concerning the depreciation of fixed assets. However, these properties are not held for consumption but for investment and the directors consider that systematic annual depreciation would be inappropriate. The accounting policy adopted is therefore necessary for the financial statements to give a true and fair view. Depreciation or amortisation is only one of many factors reflected in the annual valuation and the amount which might otherwise have been shown cannot be separately identified or quantified.

Hire purchase and leasing
Rentals payable under operating leases are charged in the profit and loss account on a straight line basis over the lease term.

Financial instruments
Financial instruments are classified and accounted for, according to the substance of the contractual arrangement, as financial assets, financial liabilities or equity instruments. An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of the company after deducting all of its liabilities. Where shares are issued, any component that creates a financial liability of the company is presented as a liability in the balance sheet. The corresponding dividends relating to the liability component are charged as interest expense in the profit and loss account.