Home start-up

[CeriBerry]

Hello Geeks

I live in Gloucestershire and I'm thinking about working from home. Maybe make my spare room into a nail salon and taking clients by appointment.

How does it all work with business rates and the local council?

Does anyone have any experience starting up from home and can advise me on the legality side of it?

Any information would be a great help.

 

[bebeaubeautyshack]

Hi, it may depend on your local council, in my area (Thanet, Kent) business rates are currently free for small businesses. From what i understand when it comes to working from home as long as the area you want to use is not just for business purposes you wont pay business rates. If you did have to i think its worked out by area. You should really contact the local council when offering treatments from home but truthfully i dont think many people do. Just make sure you follow all the usual health and safety regulations with regards to what we do that way you know you are doing the right things should the council pay a visit. The best thing to do to be certain is to give them a call xx

 

[Welsh Heart]

Hello Geeks

I live in Gloucestershire and I'm thinking about working from home. Maybe make my spare room into a nail salon and taking clients by appointment.

How does it all work with business rates and the local council?

Does anyone have any experience starting up from home and can advise me on the legality side of it?

Any information would be a great help.

If you can prove you use a room for family after business hours you do not need to pay business tax. Put a lap top in their and say it is your home study. I just wrote to my council and they said as long as I did not need to change the structure I did not need planning. You must still maintain health and safety as if you were in a salon.

Make sure you tell your insurance company. I did a health and safety check and fitted a fire extinguisher for electric and flammable liquids and put up my certificates and insurance, just as I would if in a salon.

 

[user 111574]

Your first step would be to phone your council planning department to ask if you need 'change of use' planning permission to set up your business idea. They will probably say you don't as the rules have been relaxed in recent years to encourage small businesses.
Once up and running you need to tell the tax people you have self employed income (i think I did all mine on line). You then submit a tax return at the end of the tax year that covers all your earnings.
You will need to tell the business rates people you are operating and then they issue an annual assessment. Currently I get 100% relief so nothing to pay. But you do need to tell them otherwise when you start advertising they will be getting in touch with you! Ignorance is no defence...etc..

When you are buying items ready for the set up, keep all your receipts, even if they are months away from starting up. You can claim all these as expenses.
Good luck!