- No need to spend time looking for suitable business premises
- Lower cost compared to leasing or buying premises
- No time lost on travel to and from your workplace
- More flexibility with regards to working hours
Whilst running a business from home may seem straightforward there are a number of things you need to consider before going ahead and this guide will help you take the necessary steps to make sure that working from home is right for you.
Are you in the right place?Using your home as a base for your business can work brilliantly, however, not every home is right to be used for this purpose and you should think about the following:
- What would the neighbours say? Would the running of your business from home create increased traffic, noise or any other disturbance for anyone living in your neighbourhood?
- Would it be easy for customers or suppliers to come and see you in your home office? Think about things like parking and access to public transport.
- You will need to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act to ensure that there are no barriers to stop people entering or using your premises to access your goods and services. Our factsheet covering overcoming physical barriers to access has all the details.
What to check?Aside from the suitability of your home there are a few other points you should check to avoid any surprises after starting working from home:
- Does your mortgage agreement make reference to using your home for business purposes? Some agreements will prevent you from being able to use your home as a place of work so make sure you check.
- If you are a tenant, check you tenancy agreement and contact your landlord or freeholder to make sure you aren’t infringing the terms of your contract.
- Check your home insurance policy and find out if you will need extra cover.
- You may be liable to pay business rates once you set up a home office. The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) considers each case on its own merits and you can find further details in their working from home factsheet or by contacting the VOA.
- Contact HMRC and/or an accountant to check your position regarding your income, VAT and Capital Gains Tax. Our factsheet covering tax considerations when working from home gives you further information.
- Any legal aspects can be explained by a solicitor, Lawyers for your Business offer a free half-hour initial consultation.
- Speak to your neighbours before going ahead to avoid conflict later.
- Contact the Health and Safety Executive or your local authority to find out about any health and safety regulations relating to you working from home and find out how to carry out a risk assessment to make sure your home and your equipment are safe to use. You need to pay particular attention if you are working with dangerous goods or hazardous substances.
- Read our guide to planning permission and building regulations and contact the planning department of your local authority to make sure you comply with building regulations and check if you need to make structural changes or changes that require planning permission.
Your work areaWorking from home can affect your work-life balance positively if you get it right. Being at home allows you to work more flexibly around responsibilities like child or elder care for example. However, being this near to the office can also tempt you into doing more work than you would if your workplace wasn’t next door.
To keep a healthy work-life balance and ensure that a home office works for you try to keep work and leisure as separate as you can. Stick to working times that you have set for yourself and don’t give in to the temptation of visiting the office at any given opportunity.
One of the best ways to do so is to make sure your office is separated from the rest of your accommodation. Having your desk at one end of the living room can be distracting whilst keeping a separate office makes it easier to shut off when the working day is done.
If you don’t have the space for a separate office try sectioning off the area you work in as much as you can so it isn’t in full view at all times. This will help you to avoid feeling as though you are constantly at work.
Keeping in touchWhilst working from home offers a number of advantages, you may at times feel isolated. Depending on the type of business you run you may not have many visitors to your premises which may mean you don’t get the chance to talk to likeminded business people in your area.
A great and cost effective way to stay in touch with what’s going on in the local business community is to attend networking events. Networking can be a great way to create new leads but it can also be a great support to just talk to people facing the same issues as yourself. Our guide to networking offers tips to help you get started and provides access to a listing of networking events across the North West.
Further help and supportBusiness Link Northwest is your free to use, independent business support and information service. Why not speak to one of our business advisers to find out what we can do for you? Call us now on 0845 00 66 888 or use our contact us form.