Definition
Land and buildings
Land and buildings are tangible, long-term assets companies use and benefit from over time. They are tangible because they have a physical form—unlike intangible assets (such as patents, trademarks and copyrights) that do not.
More about land and buildings
When a company purchases land and buildings, the full cost is added to the balance sheet. Because the value of a building decreases as it is used, its cost is amortized (spread across several years) rather than treated as a one-time expense. This amortization appears on the income statement and is done only for buildings. Land is not usually amortized because it is assumed to hold its value.
