childminding in rented accomodation

zippyzena

hi i have been a childminder for ten years and finding it really difficult to find rented accomodation. I have seen a house that belongs to the local church and enquired about renting it, they were keen to have me there but saying they would need to consult their solicitor. They were advised by the solicitor that we would need planning permission to change the tenancy to business which would cost approx £300 and to gain planning would cost anything upto £1000 and that would have a big impact on their rates. Now i thought childminders who work from home were exempt from business rates etc, and our homes were still classed as private dwellings. can anyone advise me how to get around this?

geordiebunny1

I've had this problem too. Am in rented accomodation and about to start registration process. As advised I rang local planning today and was told would need to change over. I argued with them and they said they would get back to me. I then vented my anger on the childminding help forum and was told that it was normal and often people had to write in and advise they were going to be childminding from a premises only to have a letter back saying they didn't need planning permission. Try ringing the local planning yourself but make sure you get someone who knows what they are doing. Good luck my landlord had no problem as long as if we move out everything is back to way when we moved in.

zippyzena

Hi i have recently lookd up on the ncma website and they say "that running a business from a domestic property usually requires planning permission, however gidance has been issued in both England and Wales stating that childminding is an example of working from home for which planning permission will not normally be reqired".

So i then looked up the planning guidance details for England and under the National Planning Policy it states "It advised that planning permission is not normally required where the use of art of a home for business purpose does not change the overall character of the proptery's use as a dwelling. for example, childminding complying with National Standards would be unlikely to mean that the character of the home's use as a dwelling had ceased and would not normally require permission.

So i took your advice as well and Telephone the local planning office and still waiting for the senior planning officer tocall me back so lets keep fingrs cross and if ok go back to the agency and give them the relevant information.

planning_officer

The general rule (although this is unwritten and open to interpretation) is that child minding any more than 6 children from home will require planning permission. The reason for this is that over that number you have to employ someone else on the premises, which then indicates that it a fully fledged business, which has planning implications such as increased traffic generation with people dropping off and collecting children, employee parking etc. There are other issues too, say if you are doing it with less than 6 children and it is full time, there is lots of extra vehicle activity and you are using more than one room in the house for example, then it may be akin to a business use which is over and above what one would normally expect to find in a dwelling, which may require planning permission. Always best to find out how your individual Council apply their policies - as not all will be the same.

dogcat_2

Surely this has been posted in the wrong thread??!!

snoopy1971

either that or it si the longest T's& C's Ive ever seen

planning_officer

dogcat wrote: »

Surely this has been posted in the wrong thread??!!

Are you referring to my post or something else?

Delenn

You just posted your question in the "I Won" forum!

planning_officer

Not me! Blame the original poster! lol