Income Tax (Trading and Other Income) Act 2005

Basic definitions

786 Meaning of “rent-a-room receipts”

(1) For the purposes of this Chapter an individual has rent-a-room receipts for a tax year if—

(a) the receipts are in respect of the use of furnished accommodation in a residence in the United Kingdom or in respect of goods or services supplied in connection with that use,

(b) they accrue to the individual during the income period for those receipts (see subsections (3) and (4)),

(c) for some or all of that period the residence is the individual’s only or main residence, and

(d) the receipts would otherwise be brought into account in calculating the profits of a trade or UK property business or chargeable to income tax under Chapter 8 of Part 5 (income not otherwise charged).

(2) Meals, cleaning and laundry are examples of goods or services supplied in connection with the use of furnished accommodation in a residence.

(3) If the receipts would otherwise be brought into account in calculating the profits of a trade, the income period is the basis period for the tax year (see Chapter 15 of Part 2).

(4) Otherwise the income period is the period which—

(a) begins at the beginning of the tax year or, if later, the beginning of the letting in respect of which the receipts arise, and

(b) ends at the end of the tax year or, if earlier, the end of that letting.

787 Meaning of “residence”

(1) In this Chapter “residence” means—

(a) a building, or part of a building, occupied or intended to be occupied as a separate residence, or

(b) a caravan or houseboat.

(2) If a building, or part of a building, designed for permanent use as a single residence is temporarily divided into two or more separate residences, it is still treated as a single residence.

788 Meaning of “total rent-a-room amount”

(1) For the purposes of this Chapter an individual’s “total rent-a-room amount” for a tax year is the total of—

(a) the individual’s rent-a-room receipts for the tax year, and

(b) any relevant balancing charges for the tax year (see section 802).

(2) In calculating the total rent-a-room amount, no deduction is allowed for expenses or any other matter.