Running a Business from Home

Lots of our residents run a business from home, whether that's a bit of freelance admin on the side or a growing beauty or wellness practice. We're happy to support that, as long as it fits comfortably alongside your home life and doesn't affect your neighbours. Here's what you need to know, and a short form to fill in so we've got the details on file.   

What you can do 

Your business should be mainly office based, or within the health, beauty and wellness sector, and run from within your home. That might include: 

• Office admin, calls and online meetings 
• Beauty and hair treatments 
• Home baking 
• Wellness treatments 
• Approved childcare 

We don't allow manufacturing, industrial processes, or anything hazardous at the property. 

Getting the go-ahead 

Before you start trading from home, you'll need to: 

• Let us know about the type of business you’re running (see form below) 
• Stick to the terms of your tenancy agreement 
• Keep your home used primarily as a place to live 

The legal bits 

Your business needs to meet all the usual legal and regulatory requirements, including: 

• Local authority regulations 
• Ofsted approved – where relevant 
• Planning and licensing requirements, where applicable 
• Health and safety legislation 
• Data protection legislation 
• Insurance requirements 

Customers and visitors 

To keep things comfortable for your neighbours: 

• Keep visits to drop-offs, collections or appointments 
• Don't set up a waiting area, indoors or out 
• Ask visitors to be considerate of neighbours and parking 

Deliveries 

Keep deliveries to a reasonable level and, where you can, arrange them during normal daytime hours. Large commercial deliveries or collections that could inconvenience neighbours aren't permitted. 

Noise 

Please keep noise to a minimum, avoid loud equipment, stick to reasonable working hours, and make sure any visitors behave respectfully too. 

Parking 

Please don't let your business generate excessive vehicle movements. Anyone visiting for business reasons should park responsibly and avoid blocking neighbours or shared access. 

Looking after your home 

• Keep the property in good condition 
• Stick to our decoration and alterations policies 
• Make sure business use doesn't add wear and tear beyond normal living 
• Store equipment safely and neatly 

Health and safety 

Keep your home safe to work in: clear walkways, safely stored equipment, well-maintained electrics, and appropriate fire safety measures in place. We don't allow hazardous substances or dangerous equipment to be stored or used at the property unless permitted by law and agreed with us in advance. 

Insurance 

Please let your insurer know if required, take out appropriate business insurance where necessary, and make sure your business doesn't invalidate the building's insurance. 

Keeping information secure 

If your business involves handling personal or confidential information, please put appropriate security measures in place, including secure storage of documents, password-protected devices, and compliance with data protection law. 

Being environmentally responsible 

Please keep waste to a minimum, recycle where practical, and dispose of business waste responsibly. 

What we can't allow 

To keep your home feeling like a home, and to be fair to your neighbours, we're not able to allow: 

• Running a shop or retail premises open to members of the public 
• Business signage, advertising or promotional material on the outside of the property without our written permission first 
• Storing large amounts of stock, or flammable, hazardous or chemical materials 
• Anything that generates excessive noise, vibration or disruption 
• Activities that produce fumes, smoke, dust or strong odours 
• Employing multiple staff who regularly work from the property (it should normally just be you, or occasionally one additional person working remotely) 
• An unapproved business without the correct licences or accreditations. 
• Take-away kitchens or other food delivery services where the food is cooked on the premises and collected by customers. This does not include home baking businesses (see above) 

If a business significantly changes the residential character of your home, or breaches your tenancy agreement, we may need to ask you to stop straight away. 

From time to time, we may ask for updated documentation regarding your business. We will only do this if deemed necessary from a Health & Safety or legislative purposes. 

Tell us about your business 

Running a business from home, or in the process of setting one up? Fill in the form below so we've got the details on file. It only takes a couple of minutes.