Renters benefiting as homeowners let out rooms

21 2008
As the UK housing market continues to slow down, the options for tenants keep improving, with many now able to rent individual rooms in private homes, it has been reported.

According to a new report in the Daily Telegraph, as homeowners look to cope with rising mortgage rates, many are opting to rent out at least one of their rooms in order to benefit from additional income, with many advertising accommodation over the internet.

While the prospect of living with the landlord may be daunting for some, this often allows tenants to live in more upmarket properties in desirable areas of towns or cities, while homeowners themselves are starting to benefit from the government's Rent-a-Room scheme, which allows them to earn up to £4,500 rental income a year tax free.

"It is a painless way to make ends meet," one landlord told the newspaper.

"Sure, on balance I prefer not to live with complete strangers or queue to use my own bathroom. But a cheque at the end of the month is a very emollient thing."

In the past, the live-in landlord has been the subject of many books and films, including Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party and Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis.

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