For many property owners, the rental income will be tax-free if it is within the £7,500 rent a room relief and will not even need to be reported. This applies where room(s) in the taxpayer’s main residence is rented out, typically to lodgers. Where the house is owned jointly, they would qualify for £3,750 each tax-free.
This £7,500 exemption would also apply where the property owners are temporarily absent and rent out their property, for example, a house in SW19 during the Wimbledon fortnight.
A few years ago it was proposed that such lettings would not qualify but the legislation was dropped and the CGT lettings relief restriction was introduced in the latest Finance Act instead.
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