To rent an office for my small business?

[RegusGirl]

We live in a very small house. As much as I try to keep it clean and tidy, DH plonks massive piles of work crap in general areas such as the lounge room and dining room. Also in the dining room is an enormous cat litter tray which DH insists DCat will not use if it is anywhere else in the house. DCat does have bowel issues but I am sure there is another way to handle this. We have a laundry just next to the dining room and I think the cat litter tray should go in there. DH says no. I also think we should use disposable litter trays as the huge plastic shit-covered monstrosity in our dining room wafts a smell around the house (our downstairs is open plan).

Anyway, I have my own small business. I want to work in the dining room but just can’t work in this environment and am looking at renting some premises so that I can work and also make the things I sell. I just don’t think it’s professional to sell things that have been made 3 metres away from a cat litter tray. And I hate being in this smelly house. I want to start taking my business seriously.

DH says I should work in the laundry but it is too small and humid.

AIBU?

Work out the real cost of renting a small office - rent, insurance, utilities, business rates if applicable, any telecoms costs etc. Add on your commuting costs (fuel or train fare etc). Then work out how much extra you’d need to earn a month to cover those costs. Is it feasible to allow you to still make a good profit or would your small business run the risk of becoming an expensive hobby rather than a business?

Don't forget to consider any minimum term contract requirements for the rent or utilities. You may end up liable for those costs for 2 years or more even if you decide to move out or close your business.

Does the cost of renting a premises fit into your business plan?

A small garden shed might be more cost effective.

@scaredfriend it’s a start up so I’m not making anything at the moment.

If its a start up then yabu and not very money wise. Get a garden shed? Or a summer house?

The garden showed wouldn’t work as I need electricity.

*shed

Empty the litter tray as soon as it has been used, we keep dog poo bags for the purpose. Once every fortnight (or more depending on the cat) empty all the litter out, wash it out properly, dry it and refill. It shouldn’t smell.

Take over the lounge instead, take a corner and put a desk there etc. if he piles any shit up in there, promptly move it and stick it near the cat box to sort.

You can get business premises/serviced offices on short term let but they do tend to be quite expensive per sqr ft.

What does your business actually involve, because if you are manufacturing then there can be restrictions on what you are allowed to do and store in various premises.

He thinks the cat should poop in the dining room, and you should work in the laundry. That's completely Illogical. Why is he in charge? Are you not able to say no?

? Easy enough to get power to an outside office, any reputable electrician should be able to do it. I’d be more concerned about insulation and heating, but it’s certainly doable.

If you have a laundry your house can’t be that small! What you really have is a huge DH problem, and your solution is to take the hit yourself and spend money that your ‘business’ isn’t making on some premises for what sounds like a craft hobby business, the vast majority of which never make any money. No. DH makes room for you in the house or you find a house far away from him and his incontinent cat whose needs he is putting ahead of his wife’s. It is not too much to expect a reasonable amount of the space in the house you live in.

You have a DH problem.

1. he (like you) needs a work space so that all his work stuff is in one place.

2.1) he is refusing to try move the cats toilet out of the open area of your joint home.

2.2) how effective is the cat litter brand if it is not containing the smell and why cant the tray not be moved over a period of days or weeks?

You imo just want a justification to be out of your home because you have not given any business reasons to take on a fixed cost.

You both need to look at what is needed to make your home a nicer place for you to be in during business hours.

Depending on what you sell, you risk your home insurance if you keep making things in your house without the adequate protections in place. Also, if someone sues you, and you don't have insurance in place already, that's going to be a problem..

Business premises are the least of your worries if the above isn't sorted yet!

Move the litter tray a bit day by day, and eventually to the laundry - the cat will learn.

You dont have the funds yet to rent somewhere

If you aren't making any money how are you going to pay for the office?

This. The absolute smallest of offices is likely to cost £200 or more a month. Standing charge for business electricity is high - about £30 a month before you even use any of it! You may be able to get by using just your mobile phone (and tether any laptop to its data), if not you’re easily looking at another £20+ a month for internet. Water could add another £10-£20 a month.
Your current business insurance can probably be expanded to cover the premises but will likely incur a cost. Will you need to buy and service things like fire alarms / fire extinguishers/ burglar alarms timer the requirements of your policy - possibly if the place you’re renting from doesn’t include these (and many don’t!).
At a minimum you’d be looking to pay out £300 (and likely much more a month). Where would this come from if your business isn’t making any profit? You’re presumably working for free as it is - you don’t want to be losing money as well. It’s not sustainable.

Your H is the issue here.

He’s untidy and tells you where the cat will do its business, in your home. Instead of having to spend money because you hate being at home, have a serious chat with H about how your needs are not being met in this relationship and things have to change.

Let the cat toilet outside.
DH keeps his work stuff contained -in a shed or garage if tools or on a desk designated as his office if paperwork.
Long term, think of an insulated shed with electricity for both of you.

Why are you being so passive?

just put the cats litter tray in the laundry room.

as soon as the cat dies a poo scoop it up & dispose of it in a dog poo bag in the outside bin.

the litter tray needs emptying at least weekly. Litter disposed of & the tray washed/dried & fresh litter. Some cats may need a little of the old litter sprinkled on top until they get used to the new routine.

theres no way I'd have even the cleanest litter tray in the dining room, but especially when you have a laundry room.

as long as the cat knows where it is & can easily access it, it won't care which room it's in.

As for Nor-so-DH dumping his crap around the house. I suppose it depends on why it's in the house for starters. Where would you be happy with it going? Decide that, then see what plan you can put in place with 'D'H.

was it his house before you lived there? Why are the dynamics like this??

Why does your husband seem to get the final say in everything? It seems as though you both act as if he is a parent and you’re a teen, it’s very odd.

Having a cat litter tray in the dining room is so unhygienic, it’s madness not to put it in the laundry room next to it!

If you want to work out of home you don’t need an office, why not look into hot desking passes? They’re often pay as you go or monthly with cancel at any time policies so you aren’t tied into long term expensive contracts.

But if you’re not making any profit currently then it’s madness to add another unnecessary expense on top.

Your husband sounds like a selfish eejit tbh.

Can you not find a local coworking space to go to? They aren’t cheap either but far more flexible than renting an office.

Offices locally to me are from £30 a week which is quite reasonable. For admin you can just go and sit in the library and use the free wifi. I do this when I fancy a change of scenery.
I would move the cat litter tray and if the cat uses it that’s great.
You could also have a Vinted purge and put anything not needed on Vinted to fund the new start up. That’ll clear some clutter.
A pp mentioned insurance, public and product liability insurance is what you need and costs around £100 a year. Market traders association, there’s an artists something called hat does it cheaply and quite a few brokers do as well.

The cat may have got used to its tray being in your dining room but they are generally clean intelligent animals and will use it in a different room.

I am just wondering what kind of mind thinks a dining room is a good place for an animal to piss and shit to begin with. Seriously what is wrong with him? And why have you allowed it?

And as a Pp said, a cat tray won’t smell if it is kept clean.

I rent an office. It's about £200 a quarter,

£5 ISH a month water

And my last electric bill was £1.50 for the quarter.