Ways to make money from an outhouse / garden house

[merr1goround]

I've got an outhouse in a house I've just bought.

It's brick or breeze block, but sturdy, a proper looking tile roof, velux windows, a shower room and a little kitchenette.

It's about 5 metres by 5 metres.

Now, the thing is it is in my garden, but its a mid terraced house and I don't feel so great about renting it out or airbnb as they'd have to walk through my house (I have four kids under 8) and my husband if often away on business so I'd be the only adult. I can't think of a way around it.

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can make money on this room? We don't really need it for living space.

Any ideas welcome, money is definitely tighter than I would like at the moment!!!!

Putting someone to live in there would be like taking in a lodger, they'd have access to your house to come and go as they please, they may leave the front door open if they are scatter brained etc.
I'd just give it to the kids as a playroom and look at other ways to make money.

Does the room have planning permission to be used as a permanent dwelling? Is it registered for council tax? Both will be required if you’re using it for other than incidental use and London councils are generally reluctant to sponsor “beds in sheds” type dwellings, so I wouldn’t get your hopes up too quickly. You’d also need to operate it the same as you would as a landlord of any property, meeting fire safety regs, electrical checks, proper liability insurance etc. It’s not quite as simple as find local medical student to bunk in garden room = make loadsa dosh.

ComtesseDeSpair got there first, but do check whether your eventual planned use for the building will require planning permission.

Ah, ok, that's true.

It was used as a dwelling by previous owners and had been for 15 years. But I don't know the actual status. Good call.

Thank you.

It might have been used as a dwelling but I’d be surprised if it had planning permission and all the other applicable consents. Do check it out.

If it's got no independent access it won't have been PP as a separate dwelling. At best it will be an annexe to be used as ancillary accommodation for the main house.

Ah ok.

I will certainly look in to this. I bought it with the kitchenette and shower room and it had been like this for 15 years. I wonder what could happen in this case as it's been like this for so long.

What can happen is that somebody reports you for an illegal dwelling, with a potential fine, and ultimately an order to demolish the building entirely if you continue to let it out. Think realistically: if there was an easy and legal way of making good money from your garden room, the previous owner would have touted this as a unique selling feature and priced the house upwards accordingly with it as an attached business opportunity.

You clearly have a pricey house in a pricey part of London. Are things really that desperate that you’d consider, as a poster on your other thread suggested and you seemed to like, locking your small children into their bedrooms overnight so that you feel better about strangers wandering through your home?

How would the fire brigade get to it if there was a fire in there?

I don’t think it will work as a dwelling

but definitely a bookable classroom or events space - eg mum and baby groups? Or arts classes or for placements

or Storage - charge cheaper rates than storage unit - c 200pcm

Thank you to everyone who have contributed ideas!

Contact your council before doing anything. You may need planning permission for change of use. What planning permission does it currently have? Also, as previous poster pointed out, you'd need to clear it with your insurers.
And consider the neighbours as well. Anywhere animals are kept may have issues with noise and smell, for example.