Alternative digs

Our client lives in a very desirable area of London. A visitor to the UK who was working for a short period in the city did not want to stay in a hotel or equivalent and offered my client £20 000 a week for eight weeks for the sole use of his personal private residence.

The offer was too good to refuse so my client accepted but then had to seek alternative accommodation for the two-month period.

The client asked me whether he could offset the cost of his alternative accommodation against the rental income he was to receive.

My first reaction was that there was a duality of purpose.

However to fulfil the contract he had no other option but to incur the accommodation costs to secure the income.

Could the cost of the accommodation for my client (and his family) be deducted from the...