Can you run a business from a residential flat when you don,t live there?

[fatnfrumpy]

We are the owner of a top floor flat in a Victorian building.
The building is beautiful and maintained by all freeholders.
There are four flats in total. We all have a share in the freehold and share maintenance costs.
The building insurance is in excess of 1k per annum which means we all pay over £250 per annum.
This seems very high seeing as our other house worth more are around £120 per annum.
So looking into it more deeply it would seem
1, owner/occupied ground floor flat has had several large claims in the last three years for leaks.
2, owner of garden flat does not live there but has converted the three bedroom flat into offices for his market research business. He has employees working on computors for 8hrs per day.
So is our part of the building insurance being penalised for past claims and for business use?
Is it legal to run a business from a residential property?
Is it safe that there are employees working from a garden/basement flat all day?
If the building burnt down because a computor caught on fire from a business would the building insurance pay out?

[Tortington]

www.telegraph.co.uk/property/9648327/Property-clinic-Can-I-run-a-business-from-my-home.html this article pretty much mentions everything

[fubbsy]

You need to check the terms of the buildings insurance policy. I live in a share-of-the-freehold flat, our policy specifically says it is for residential cover, so would not pay out in the scenario you describe.

If business use is covered by the buildings insurance, then yes I would expect you are paying more for it.

Also, check the lease. The terms of our leases forbid business use. Yours may be similar.