Landlords in several parts of the UK are in the sights of new taskforces from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) who are seeking an estimated £23 million in undeclared and unpaid taxes.
Owners of property portfolios in East Anglia, London, Yorkshire and the North East - regions that HMRC deems to be a high risk location for tax evasion in the property sector - could find themselves under investigation by these flying squads of experts.
The teams will visit traders, without advance warning, to examine their records and "carry out other investigations", HMRC stated.
David Gauke, exchequer secretary, said:"HMRC is on target to collect more than £50 million as a result of the taskforces launched in 2011/12.
"We have made it clear that we will not tolerate tax evasion - everyone needs to pay the taxes they owe in full."
HMRC's Mike Eland, director general enforcement and compliance, added: "But deliberately evading tax you should be paying can land you with not only a heavy fine but possibly a criminal prosecution as well.
"This is not an empty threat - HMRC can and will track you down if you choose to break the rules."
A dozen taskforces were launched last year and this is the first tranche of a further thirty to be sent across the country to recover tax inn the coming year.
They are part of a government £917 million spending review investment to tackle tax evasion, avoidance and fraud that is estimated could raise an additional £7 billion each year by 2014/15.
Other taskforces have already been targeting restaurants in London, the North West and Scotland; fast food outlets in London and Scotland; scrap metal dealers in Scotland; fraudulent repayments in London; landlords in the North West and Scotland; construction in the North West; property transactions in London; and overdue returns in the South East.