To B&B or not to B&B

naturegirl_2

Viewed a house today (scotland) only way I could afford it is to run it as a B&B. The owners tell me that there is a stipulation in the house deeds which states the property can't be used as a business. Is there anyway to change this?
many thanks

googler

Ask your solicitor. You'll need one in order to make an offer. They should be able to advise on matters like this.

GDB2222

A lot of these covenants are unenforceable in practice.

ognum

Is it currently run as a B&B is not can you afford the time it will take to build up the buisness.

have you done a buisness plan, do you need a mortgage?

inmypocketnottheirs

Restrictive covenants can only be enforced by who imposed them in the first place. Depending on the age of the property, it may have been the developer or the original owner of the land. If you can give a bit more detail we may be able to help.

naturegirl_2

It is a private house at the moment and was originally built by the Duke of Argyle who still owns alot of the area/ mineral rights etc and the restriction was made when the house was built. There are houses in the row that are rented out as holiday lets which is using the properties as a business.
No I have not run a B&B before and had intended to do it for 4 or 5 days a week. It is a very popular area for holidays and often more trade than the other B&Bs can handle. I know many of them as friends and they will gladly pass on trade (small community) I am selling my own house to provide a deposit of around £80,000 and I'm in the process of writing up a business plan with help from friends who have done one before. I haven't been intouch with a solicitor yet, thought I'd try here first. many thanks for replies

naturegirl_2

Sorry forgot, I will need a mortgage and I will also be working 26 hours aweek as the local postie but I don't start work until 11am so plenty of time for the breakfasts etc

casualwalks

naturegirl wrote: »

It is a private house at the moment and was originally built by the Duke of Argyle who still owns alot of the area/ mineral rights etc and the restriction was made when the house was built.

What year?

foxwales

Your basing the affordability of a property on a business that doesn't exist nor in which you have any experience in.

How do you manage guests and take bookings if your out working your other job? Do you intend to employ someone?

How will you raise enough capital to convert the building to meet regulations and standards?

How will you obtain a mortgage on a property which will depend on an additional income which doesn't yet exist and which you have no records of?

To put it blindly, your building a house out of bricks without any mortar or know how on how to mix the mortar.

Unless you have a fair amount of capital to start the business then I would find it unlikely you'll get this off the ground.

My advice would be to not B&B

toby3000

Do you have any experience of the hospitality industry? I've worked in it in the past, and people who come into it with no experience and risk alot of there own money often come to a nasty end!

What are the bathroom facilities like in the house? You may need to spend some money to bring them up to standard. Think about when you're going to have time to clean the rooms and wash the sheets/towels etc, and buy the food for the breakfast. I imagine this all takes longer than you might think.

The other thing is that you'll be sharing your house with strangers for a lot of the time, so think about how you'll feel about that. Is there a seperate space for you to have as your own living room etc? I know I would want to be able to escape the guests completly for my own meals/evening entertainment

I know you were asking about the legal stuff, but if it's the only way you can afford the house you need to know that the business side of things stacks up for you!

GDB2222

On a minor point, being a Postie is not going to stop the OP from stopping her round for 3 or 4 mins to take bookings if her phone rings.