Buying a window cleaning round while working a full time job

Travelmravel

Hi, Im thinking of buying a small established window cleaning round which I could do 1 or 2 days a month and still work my full time job. I'm wondering are there any specifics to being employed and self employed at the same time, will the self employment impact the employed position in any way (the amount of tax I pay on either job or anything else)

Any information and advice is appreciated. Thank you.

Marcon

First thing - check your contract of employment to see if you need your employer's permission to take on other work.

If the whole of your personal allowance is used up in respect of your full time job, then you'll pay tax on the whole of your profits from self employment. Plenty of info at https://www.gov.uk/browse/business

[Deleted User]

Is this round commercial premises or houses or both? 

[Deleted User]

 How can you do it only 1 or 2 days a month? My window cleaner comes every other week to every house! 

TELLIT01

_shel said:

 How can you do it only 1 or 2 days a month? My window cleaner comes every other week to every house! 

Window cleaner every 2 weeks!?  No way would I pay for my windows to be cleaned that often.  The window cleaner we had, until he decided he couldn't be bothered any more, came every 6 weeks.

To the OP, I would question whether working a couple of days a month would be financially viable.  You will need insurance which probably won't be cheap and will certainly cut into your profit.  You say you are lookiing to buy a round, so how long will you have to work the round before it actually starts to make money?

Travelmravel

Daveym79 said:

Is this round commercial premises or houses or both? 

There are a few rounds for sale, not sure which one I'll get, maybe both but mainly non commercial.

TELLIT01 said:
To the OP, I would question whether working a couple of days a month would be financially viable.  You will need insurance which probably won't be cheap and will certainly cut into your profit.  You say you are lookiing to buy a round, so how long will you have to work the round before it actually starts to make money?

Around 4 months untill it makes up for the initial investment if things go well.

As far as I found out public liability insurance is not a legal requirement, so I might go without it in the beginning. Things might have changed, hopefully that's still the case.

TELLIT01

Travelmravel said:

As far as I found out public liability insurance is not a legal requirement, so I might go without it in the beginning. Things might have changed, hopefully that's still the case.

Legal requirement or not, operating without insurance is a high risk strategy.  If there is an accident / incident which causes injury to a third party it could be extremely expensive.

lincroft1710

Travelmravel said:

As far as I found out public liability insurance is not a legal requirement, so I might go without it in the beginning. Things might have changed, hopefully that's still the case.

This should be one of your priorities, not a "well I'll think about it"

Mickey666

Totally agree that PL insurance should be a priority!

Just to clarify for the OP, imagine he drops his bucket from the top of his ladder (or whatever) causing a serious injury to a 3rd party, who is badly injured and cannot return to work for a long time, worst case forever.  What can the 3rd party sue the OP for?  Presumably everything the OP owns - house, car, all money, everything - leaving them bankrupt?

Makes that PL insurance premium look like a bargain!

[Deleted User]

My parents window cleaner travels from Portsmouth to NW London I believe to be approx every 2 weeks. He's been doing the round years but also struggles so had to keep the longer distanced rounds. With many people selling up and moving there are loads of HMO's on the street and surrounding streets where landlords obviously do not maintaining the property aswell as a family that might have purchased their home might do. The same can be said for rental properties. Very few use traditional window cleaners anymore so whilst you mention buying a round is a good idea at the moment, things can change very quickly in a short space of time. I do wonder why people sell these rounds/businesses when the amount of profit on paper seems so good that they are almost too good to be true. Its normally they have reached retirement or moving away but in any other business its normally passed down to family if it had the ability to generate long term income. 

elsien

lincroft1710 said:

Travelmravel said:

As far as I found out public liability insurance is not a legal requirement, so I might go without it in the beginning. Things might have changed, hopefully that's still the case.

This should be one of your priorities, not a "well I'll think about it"

Plus insurance to cover you for when you fall off the ladder. Or similar. 
Which  my very experienced window cleaner managed to do, broke his legs, was off work for months and lost a load of customers in the interim.