Hi there, i'm new to this forum and would like some advice. I have a business where I board dogs and cats etc within my home, instead of them being sent to boarding kennels. If possible could someone tell me in simple terms how to claim use of home expenses for the days/nights when I take an animal in. Thank you. Ari.
HMRC allow say £2-£5 a week dependent on how much you work from home. You could claim this, or apportion it per night that you have pets. This is probably the simplest method.
As long as something seems reasonable and you can support your claim should HMRC ever investigate then I don't see a problem with say £2 to £3 a week. If you have to take out additional insurance then that should be included (or if the monthly house insurance premiums rise because of what you do then the increase should be included). Claiming a proportion of council tax or water rates would be a grey area. Some would argue that these costs wouldn't increase just because you're running a business at home. However, if you have a water meter, and you wash the pets when you have them, then you could claim water rates.
Use of home telephone, have an itemised bill and keep a note of business numbers. You can easily include this in the accounts then.
Hope this helps, I'm sure someone can provide more information.
how to claim use of home expenses for the days/nights when I take an animal in. 
