Home office or Rented office. - The Book-keepers Forum (UK)

ADAS · Guru

Home office or Rented office.

Jymlyn · Senior Member

Hi Tony

I work from home mostly - I have a dedicated space in my dining room - complete with desk and filing cabinet. I have also "taken over" the sideboard for my paper work. It works for me, and I visit 2 of my client 2 days per week and work out of their office.

Kind regards

Lynda

Flex Accounting Services · Senior Member

Hi Tony. I did used to work from home, I have had an office since July and I LOVE IT !! Its within a shared business centre, so lots of companies under the same roof, but have my own lockable office. The monthly charges includes the rent and all utilities. The only thing it does not include is the business rates but with small business exemption my bill is about £90 from July to next April. My monthly rent charge also includes the use of the business centre''s reception and its staff. they organise the post when it arrives and sends out my mail for me at just the cost of it being franked. My office is only ten mins from home too so good all round. I also got a customer out of it too as there being lots of businesses in the same location. I work about 95% of my clients work from my office so its great (see previous thread about www.logmein.com about working remotely on clients pc)also this gives me a good impression to my clients when they come to my office (rather than home, which I never used to like anyway).
Bev

kjmcculloch · Guru

Hi Tony,

I considered renting an office but to be honest once I started to add up my phone line, broadband, rent, rates, power, travel to and from home it spiralled out of control. But I also knew I could keep working in the kitchen as my two kids (1 and 3) were shouting all the time and I was struggling to concentrate or take phone calls.

Instead I bought myself a lodge type building for my garden like the one here: http://www.waltons.co.uk/greenacre-retreat-log-cabins. I know garden buildings direct now do 2 garden offices for under £1000.

I cost me about £1800 to buy and kit out. I can use my home broadband, and power. I have no additional rent or rates, and I'm able to work in peace while only being seconds away from home. I did wonder how it would be in winter, but it seems to be absolutely fine so far.

I envisage it lasting at least 8 years so that's a cost of only £225 per year, much cheaper than anything else I could have found.

Kris

Stardoe · Guru

Hi Kris,

If you are working from a separate building in your garden, will you not be liable for business rates? Anybody know what the rules are for business rates? Could you be exempt as this cabin may not be considered a permanent structure?

I only ask as one of my clients has converted his garage (completely separate from the main house) into an office and he doesn't pay business rates. (Probaby wrongly).

kjmcculloch · Guru

Personally, I would suggest that given the costs then the rateable value is well under £10,000 and therefore I am entitled to 100% relief.

Also as it is non-permanent it is my understanding that business rates would not apply anyway.

Kris

-- Edited by kjmcculloch on Sunday 7th of November 2010 06:39:03 PM

Flex Accounting Services · Senior Member

Hi Kris, your set up sounds really nice and practical, and cost wise its spot on.
Bev

kjmcculloch · Guru

The biggest problem I had was with my internet access. My wireless router was fine for running my computer, but I was struggling with my phone which is VOIP, I just run some CAT5 round my garden and all seems well.

Don't get me wrong Bev, I would have loved to be able to afford a real office somewhere else, but right now the cost outweigh the benefits. It looks like you found a good one. Maybe in 8 years when I come to replace my office it'll be a viable option.

Kris

Flex Accounting Services · Senior Member

It took me a while to find somewhere that ticked all the boxes and I believe that I found it. The cost of my office is £260 per month plus VAT which for the services I get is great. (the office next to mine is the South Yorkshire Police helicopter briefing room, so its great for security too !!)
Bev

ADAS · Guru

Thanks for the replies, interesting reading and more food for thought.

Bev, does the rent you pay include the use of a pc or a laptop dock. Do you have enough space to store your files etc.

Kris, yours was another way I'm considering - the only thing that would bother me is security. But it's certainly cheaper than building a garage or a conservatory.

Flex Accounting Services · Senior Member

Hi Tony. No it doesnt include any equipment. I have my own desktop and laptop and yes there is enough space. I have 2 desks and plenty of filing space and even 6 visitor chairs !! I dont tend to hold alot of paperwork though, I tend to scan and keep in my dropbox.
Bev

ADAS · Guru

How many people do you share a room with Bev?

Thanks for answering all the questions, I appreciate been able to ask someone with practical experience.

kjmcculloch · Guru

I know where you are coming from Tony. I had the same thoughts. I did consider an alarm, large locks etc. But as far as I'm concerned if someone wants to break in, they will be it a garden office, or a house or a warehouse. In the end I considered what I really needed. I have a couple of locks on the door, blinds on all of the windows, and a lockable metal cupboard for client files. I backup my computer each day to a 1TB drive in my house and to a DVD weekly.

Kris

ADAS · Guru

Thats true enough Kris, I'd be more concerned about losing paper than electronic data, as I "think" I've covered there.

Maybe I need to start thinking about being as paperless as possible.

Flex Accounting Services · Senior Member

Have a look at Dropbox its great. I use it every day and a few others on here too.
In answer to your question Tony, it's just me in my room. I wouldnt want to share with anyone else, I would have rather carried on wfh if that was the case. I have a couple of people that help me out on ocassions and its great cos I've got the spare for them in my office.
Bev

Flex Accounting Services · Senior Member

I meant space not spare !!

Merlion ABS · Senior Member

I work from home at the moment, but I am looking for an office early next year.

Over the past 2-3 months I have been looking at offices in the area and they all seem to be serviced office, ie everything is paid for within the rent. such as elec gas, business rates and you also tend to get a secretary on the door as well. They have all the relevant office facilities if you dont have your own such as copier, fax, franking machine for post etc.. You only have to pay for you own phone line and some you dont have to even furnish.

Access is 24hrs a day.

Prices range from about £200 to £300 a month for a single office around where i live.

The only bugbear I have is that if you request info from a website on offices, you will get bombarded with emails from numerous letting agency for areas you are not even looking at as they pass you info around willie nilly.

PaulC · Veteran Member

I share the use of an office and sometimes work from home. My advice would be to work from home if you have an acceptable working environment since obviously this keeps the costs down which is vital when you're just starting out.

johannamiller · Newbie

I am also working in home and so far so good. I already made up my mind that I will be used to do this set-up because I can't afford to rent an office space.

ClareB4 · Senior Member

I work from home but I'm lucky in that my house has a reasonable sized office right at the front that is a dedicated space and isn't shared with the rest of the household/family. That is one of the reasons that we chose the house when we moved there.

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

I work from offices and feel that the primary advantage is that they work as advertising and also give the businss substance.

There are months when all of the work is either done at home or at clients premises that I wonder the wisdom of paying £400 per month for such enhanced credibility but for now I'll stick with the fact that it's a decision that I've made.

I don't think that I would have found as many clients from home but do the real question is whether additions put more than £4800 per year on the bottom line?

Who knows as I cannot tell whether they would have come to my business anyway even had I not owned the offices.

I do however know that before I moved into the offices I was having serious problems finding any clients.... Then again, I think that we all were at that time.

That was a real six of one half a dozen of the other answer there wasn't it!

kind regards,

Shaun.

p.s. Welcome to the forum Johanna.