Can I run my small business from rented accomodation?

lookstraightahead

walwyn1978 said:

WFH on ‘clerical’ work is usually fine under regular house insurance. 

WFH with customers coming is completely different and would be a separate policy, potentially including public liability etc as you would have the public on your business premises 

Absolutely agree, but you still have to tell your insurance company and your mortgage provider.

im really just making a point that everyone should be following the rules, especially as someone said you don't 'tell' your landlord, you 'ask' them. 

user1977

lookstraightahead said:

walwyn1978 said:

WFH on ‘clerical’ work is usually fine under regular house insurance. 

WFH with customers coming is completely different and would be a separate policy, potentially including public liability etc as you would have the public on your business premises 

Absolutely agree, but you still have to tell your insurance company and your mortgage provider.

It depends on the terms of your mortgage and insurance policy, there's not some general legal obligation to do so. If I am sitting on my sofa and happen to be reading a work e-mail rather than a personal e-mail, I very much doubt my lender or insurers will want to know about it.

lookstraightahead

user1977 said:

lookstraightahead said:

walwyn1978 said:

WFH on ‘clerical’ work is usually fine under regular house insurance. 

WFH with customers coming is completely different and would be a separate policy, potentially including public liability etc as you would have the public on your business premises 

Absolutely agree, but you still have to tell your insurance company and your mortgage provider.

It depends on the terms of your mortgage and insurance policy, there's not some general legal obligation to do so. If I am sitting on my sofa and happen to be reading a work e-mail rather than a personal e-mail, I very much doubt my lender or insurers will want to know about it.

I honestly don't disagree with you, but if you were working in the spare room two days a week on a permanent basis then I would think they do.

I do understand that if you are taking deliveries, people are visiting etc then there are more things to consider, like health and safety and impact on community etc. However, there are lots of home working rules (confidentiality / IT / equipment etc) that need to be addressed by anyone working from home. 

I digressed from the op (sorry) because it was appearing to be a thread based on whether you are renting, which does carry its own rules mainly because the landlord has to check that their mortgage / insurance covers it. But it affects most homeworkers (or at least they should check things out), renting or not.

user1977

lookstraightahead said:

user1977 said:

lookstraightahead said:

walwyn1978 said:

WFH on ‘clerical’ work is usually fine under regular house insurance. 

WFH with customers coming is completely different and would be a separate policy, potentially including public liability etc as you would have the public on your business premises 

Absolutely agree, but you still have to tell your insurance company and your mortgage provider.

It depends on the terms of your mortgage and insurance policy, there's not some general legal obligation to do so. If I am sitting on my sofa and happen to be reading a work e-mail rather than a personal e-mail, I very much doubt my lender or insurers will want to know about it.

I honestly don't disagree with you, but if you were working in the spare room two days a week on a permanent basis then I would think they do.

Have a look at your own mortgage conditions or insurance policy and find something which says it. The most relevant aspect is that your contents insurance isn't going to cover your employer's property. But that doesn't mean your insurers need to know that you've got your work laptop at home.

kingstreet

I've never seen a condition on mortgage or insurance requiring a work from home declaration. That's in 37 years in mortgage and insurance arrangement.

charlie_hillary

lincroft1710 said:

Your rental would still be predominantly residential.

You do not tell your landlord. Before entering into a tenancy you ask your intended landlord whether it is permissible to use part of the premises for business purposes as you have detailed above. Many residential properties have restrictive covenants forbidding any business use.


Large and bulky items will not deter determined burglars if that is what they are after

I see! I meant ask

charlie_hillary

Annisele said:

There might also be planning issues. If OP is intending to have a bunch of customers or deliveries turning up at the house, they might need planning permission - and I'd expect the vast majority of landlords to nope right out of that one. Just because one set of neighbours hasn't complained doesn't mean the next set won't.

I see. I'm not too worried about neighbours since it's a low amount of customers (5 a week roundabouts), and they show up for only 10 minutes each, I doubt they'd notice. Its worth me asking about PP to the landlord though. Then it wouldn't be worth it if I needed it on both parties. 

By the sounds of it, insurance is the most likely necessity. 

charlie_hillary

kingstreet said:

I've never seen a condition on mortgage or insurance requiring a work from home declaration. That's in 37 years in mortgage and insurance arrangement.

Hi mate. 

You seem clued up about insurance, so what do you advise I do when asking the landlord? Is it something I can sort myself that covers it, or will it be something they will need to arrange, and I would need to pay extra? How should that process work?

C

kingstreet

charlie_hillary said:

kingstreet said:

I've never seen a condition on mortgage or insurance requiring a work from home declaration. That's in 37 years in mortgage and insurance arrangement.

Hi mate. 

You seem clued up about insurance, so what do you advise I do when asking the landlord? Is it something I can sort myself that covers it, or will it be something they will need to arrange, and I would need to pay extra? How should that process work?

C

IMO you will need to arrange separate cover via a Commercial Insurance broker when insuring commercial stock/components. Your conversation with a potential landlord is around obtaining permission to run a business.