turbotax icon
cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
turbotax icon
cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
turbotax icon
cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
turbotax icon
cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
Announcements
Close icon
Do you have a TurboTax Online account?

We'll help you get started or pick up where you left off.

I rented a room in my house for 1 month without receipts or leases. The tenant is threatening to report me to welfare.Can they be successful without paperwork?

 
Connect with an expert
x
Do you have an Intuit account?

Do you have an Intuit account?

You'll need to sign in or create an account to connect with an expert.

1 Reply
taxache
New Member

I rented a room in my house for 1 month without receipts or leases. The tenant is threatening to report me to welfare.Can they be successful without paperwork?

Not clear how it is related to tax and what welfare and rent is connected.

Not addressing anything related to welfare, let’s approach the rent:

- Rental agreement can  be verbal, but it applies mostly to disagreement relate to tenant x landlord ( one can be labeled landlord if renting a room), for any other purpose hard to especulaste trying to antecipate each situation. 

- According to tax laws Any rental for more than 14 days a year must be reported as income

- when comes to verbal agreement proving that a contract existed does not require extraordinary efforts, in some cases a simple combination of , text messages, emails, photos, phone records, mail  etc may be accepted.

- there are tax benefits if you rented a room one month of the year.  In some cases taxes write offs may even reduce one’s adjusted gross income.

- not issuing a receipt does not necessary benefits the landlord, depending on the situation  it can actually count against the person.

- lying or defrauding Government agencies is never a good idea, usually criminal charges follow attempts to recover $$, one can always come clean retroactively instead of waiting or being blackmailed. Blackmailing is illegal, if a person requests something in exchange to not report another, it is blackmail, in situation like this people usually benefits from coming clean retroactively and reporting the blackmailer. 

Disclaimer: I am not a tax or lawyer, I am only expressing personal opinion which shall not be regarded as professional  advise. It is always recommend the person seeks professional advise.

message box icon

Get more help

Ask questions and learn more about your taxes and finances.

Post your Question
Manage cookies