running a business from home... a problem ?

sandraa_2

Hello there,

Can anyone tell me if it is legal to run a business from home: do we have to ask the local authority?

I am a freelance tutor and my business is expending. In the furure I will probably teach 10 hours a week of private tuition and also run one or two small classes a week.

I am also hoping to become an agency recruiting other tutors in the area.

I do all my business from home.

What are the possible problem I might come across?

Thank you.

Sandra

barrymung

sandraa wrote: »

Hello there,

Can anyone tell me if it is legal to run a business from home: do we have to ask the local authority?

Yes and possibly.

I am a freelance tutor and my business is expending. In the furure I will probably teach 10 hours a week of private tuition and also run one or two small classes a week.

Presumably, not tutoring in spelling...!

I am also hoping to become an agency recruiting other tutors in the area.

I do all my business from home.

What are the possible problem I might come across?

The main prob I find when working from home is in not getting disturbed or sidetracked.

If I'm not being hassled by a family member for something the temptation is there to go watch telly or do something non-productive.

If you have a lot of clients arriving at your house you might upset the neighbours. Probably a good idea to mention it to them early on.

Pennywise

If your customers are visiting your home on a regular basis, there are a few things that may well be relevant:-

1. Change of use planning permission (check with local authority).
2. Home insurance may not cover customers on your premises.
3. Possible capital gains tax on part of your home if any area is used wholly for business (i.e. your office/study).

Normally, the local authority, home insurers and tax inspectors don't bother with these points if you are basically "home working" with few, if any, business callers, but if you are regularly inviting customers into your home, you really should be checking all these areas carefully to make sure you know the score.

Mouth_of_Sauron

My problem is the fridge is unlocked and the cricket's on the telly.

Savvy_Sue

If you are a tenant, you need to tell your landlord. There may be a clause in your tenancy agreement to say you can't run a business from home, but even if there is you may be able to negotiate. It sometimes goes in as a standard clause, to make sure that any business isn't going to cause a 'nuisance' to the neighbours.