Should I open my house to the public to get tax relief to fix my roof?

[LadyCustardCreme]

This is a legal tax relief system, ist it? I can open up my house, cordon off a route, give guided tours and then let people wander around the garden and then sell them a cup of tea and a bit of cake? What else do I need apart from a bit of advertising and public liability insurance?

It's a genius idea, OP.
You'll be going viral any minute now.

Can I ask about the lavatory arrangements ?
Will we wee in the house or have facilities in the garden? Like a latrine?

other ideas:

xmas baubles for sale all year round. £25 each.

dead cuttings of plants from your garden shoved in plastic pots £20 each.

bottles of water £3.50 each.

Visitors also love a desk with framed family photos on it (anyone's family, no one will know) A real crowd pleaser.

a room with a couple of benches and a looping and broing video about your the historical significance of your house etc - black and white and very grainy of course.

Is it haunted at all, do you think? You could charge extra for ghost tours after dark. You only really need a creepy-looking child in a window of a boardrd-up attic.

I've seen holly leaves used instead of thistles, if that helps.

Don't forget your seasonal themes. Get the pumpkins planted NOW!

Invest in loads of fairy lights for the outdoor xmas 'lantern trail' at a mere £30pp (£35 if they want to carry an orange with a clove in it)

I want to do this too. I just need to work out how to curate the dent in the bedroom wall where I banged my elbow.

@HelenaWaiting Priest hole

Just remember to velvet rope the one and only loo when you need to pop in. Otherwise it could get awkward.

And get that loo roll that automatically cuts off when you have more than half an inch of it in your hand.

Do you have space in your garden for a moat?
It needn’t be very deep or wide so your visitors will be able to just step over/wade through it (you don’t want the expense of a drawbridge if you’re paying for a new roof). It will add a medieval dimension to Custardleigh Towers.
Do you know anyone who can lend you a spare peacock? They’re a compulsory addition to frighten the paying customers off the flower beds and your half demolished rockery. If not, pigeons will do in a pinch.

This is such an awesome idea! I think I might steal it and do it too!

I have a very impressive thing of a hall that leads to the dining room that leads to the conservatory that leads to the living room that goes back to the hall again. A full circular tour! That is most superior right?

I also have a priest hole. It is currently pretending to be a coat cupboard and also holds many boxes of cereal but it is blatantly a priest hole. If I got the vacuum out from the bottom people could even try and get in it whilst saying “gosh it is very small!”

I may charge extra for that though - I have no idea where I would put the vacuum
plus I will need to pay for insurance against the risk of Rice Krispies landing on people’s head.

The barriers are substantial.

You need all the insurance, all the access requirements that are reasonable (which is everything considering you have nothing to protect of importance), toilets, and many other things that will be expected to prove it is a legitimate enterprise. And although technically there is no numbers give that is required to prove it is a real business, the general number they consider the minimum before taking a long had look and certainly ending your attempt is very high.

You would at least certainly need to make a profit, a continuous loss will not be considered a legitimate business.

The system is aware of this "loophole". It is all but impossible to take advantage of without doing it properly and having something people want to see. And it is not worth the supposed advantages you think you will get in the astronomically unlikely even you pulled it off.

You'd be great as a volunteer in one of the rooms. Right tone, perfect delivery. 😁

This thread reminds me of the one where the op wanted to set up a xmas market in her own back garden and overcharge herself for drinks and 'handmade' trinkets. Was brilliant!

On a serious note, Why do the super rich get these tax breaks? and how can the rest of us get in on the act?

Buy some old portrait paintings from op shops and hang them on your walls. Invent stories when asked.

Make them mysterious 'That's great Uncle Alexander, he was in MI5 but I don't know the details'.

Room for a pony? Violet, is that you? 👀

I think I've found my tribe.

A couple of streets away there's a big house and they have peacocks. Occasionally I find one in our garden and they tend to stick around for a few days. I could bring one of those over if you like?

I mean, whenever we have a resident peacock I always feel like I should name the house Gymnopedie Towers.

The barriers are substantial.

Oh yes, barriers! You'll need lots of them arranged in a zigzag for your queueing guests.

To save on the peacock costs, you don't need an actual peacock, just someone in the family who can make a recording of a reasonable imitation to give the impression that there are magnificent peacocks on the grounds.

(Still sell the peacock food though at £5 a scoop. A family bag of cheap oats will do)

I like this thread so much, I'm applying for loans to buy a £3,462.71 annual pass (senior discount) to all the Mumsnet Statelyish Homes, Christmas Markets and Beach Bar Gardens. I understand that many of these might be at the same addresses, but it's got to be worthwhile for the cultural variety and the chance of a peacock encounter.

I'll suggest a tour to our local coach trip operator.

Don’t forget that there are further income opportunities when your stately abode is used as a set for historical dramas (film or TV). Do you have a summerhouse in which earnest young people may profess their undying love?

“Smallest priest in 16th century England”. Give him a whole backstory.

There you go-wildlife experience £15 a pop...literally.

Or stick a tv set in the garden, get a couple of Jane Austen adaptations on DVD and have Outdoor Cinema in the summer.

A pets' graveyard adds a sentimental touch. Do you have any goldfish that are approaching the end of their lives?