Solihull MP, Julian Knight, has urged George Osborne to raise the Rent a Room Scheme tax-free threshold in his Budget statement on July 8. Mr Knight’s Budget submission means this tax break is now on the Chancellor’s radar and anything that can alleviate the UK’s housing crisis should be top priority for Government. Raising the threshold to reflect room rents of today, not those of 18 years ago (when the threshold was last updated) is a common sense move. It would boost affordable supply in the rental market – something that’s desperately needed – as well as giving homeowners a safety net when interest rates rise.