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Spare Room To Rent
Spare room to rent that is considered for the purpose of renting a room in someone’s home and not your own home, requires important issues that need to be looked at. It is important that issues are brought to light since it will make you aware of your rights.

Your Rights - Spare Room To Let in Someone’s Home:

Resident landlord letting is when the landlord and the tenant live in the same building, which is the known definition by law in the UK. This will include conversions where they reside in different parts of the very same property, it does not matter how long ago the property was converted. However, this excludes purpose built flats, whereby the tenant and landlord are living in different flats. There are numerous types of tenancy and the resident landlord letting differs from all of them in two predominant ways: The rent and the security of the tenure, which simply means the tenants:-

1) Have no rights to challenging the level of rent he or she initially agreed to pay
2) They can be given less notice to leave the premises if the landlord wishes to terminate the letting

More information on this section is advisable to be sourced and additionally to seek legal advice for anything you are uncertain of.

Comparatively, if you have a spare room to rent and already have a lodger or are thinking about letting another furnished room in your home, you could consider receiving up to £4,250 a year tax-free (£2,150 if letting jointly). This is known as the Rent a Room scheme.

Rent a Room Scheme:

This scheme is known as an optional exemption scheme which allows you to receive a certain amount of tax-free gross income (receipts before expenses) from renting furnished accommodation in your only or main home.

Who can take advantage of the scheme?

If you let a furnished accommodation in your only or family home to a lodger, then you can take advantage of this scheme. (Your only or family home is the one where you or your family live for most of the time. A lodger is a person who lives and pays to reside in your home. Sometimes meals are provided to your lodger, since he or she will be someone who is often sharing the family rooms.)

A tenant can inhabit a single room or an entire floor of your home, but the scheme does not apply if your home is converted into separate flats which you rent out. In this case you will need to declare rental income to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and pay tax in the usual manner. Additionally the scheme applies if you let an unfurnished accommodation in your home.

Do you have to be a home owner?

No. You would be able to take advantage and make a choice from the Rent a Room scheme, this would be regardless of whether you are a home owner or are renting your home. If you are renting, it is advisable for you to check whether your lease allows you to take in a lodger or not.

Advantages and Disadvantages:

The way to work out any advantages or disadvantages to you, is by finding out what is suitable or not for you.

The principal point to remember is you are going to participate in this scheme you will not be able to claim any expenses relating to the letting (for instance: wear and tear, insurance, repairs, heating and lighting).

To help you work out if the scheme would benefit you by joining or declaring all your letting income and claiming expenses on your tax return you will need to compare:

• How much income you are left with after expenses
• Amount of your receipts come to (rent plus incomes from any other services supplied - laundry services, meals, etc) over £4,250 or £2,125 if letting jointly (2006-2007 tax year)

Bear in mind: If at any time you opt out of the room for rent scheme (or simply do nothing) you will need to pay income tax on the first amount. If you decide to opt into the scheme then you will pay tax on the second amount.

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