Renting out log cabin only accessible through the house?

[GreyBlackBay]

We have a 'proper' log cabin in the garden, the type you can live in all year round.

It was a place dd (disabled) could live independently in young adulthood but she's now moved out.

I'd like to consider renting it out but there is no access to the garden except through the house or attatched garage. The garage has side hung front doors and a back door and houses washer/dryer/freezer/crap and I wouldn't mind someone going through there.

Would this come under rent a room or would I let it as though it were a self contained dwelling? I would rather have a lodger than a tenant since I understand the first is easier to get rid of if it goes sour, is that correct? So that would only be possible with rent a room?

We don't really need the income but it needs to be lived in to be heated/ventilated properly and it'd be nice to offer an affordable choice to a youngster in our area. Once into our garden it's self contained including its own little fenced garden and is actually further from us than our neighbours house so I've no real worries about privacy or disruption.

I don't think it counts as a lodger unless you share a kitchen or toilet. If you want to rent it out now, you may be able to rent it as a granny flat to a family member. For anyone else I think you need to apply for planning permission to change the use and then pay council tax on it. Does it have its own electricity and water supplies or are those totally separate?

I am interested in what other people say as we have a similar situation but haven't started looking at renting it out yet.

The Rent-a-Room scheme only applies to a room within your main home. Your cabin would be counted as a separate dwelling and would need to be let on an AST as such and taxed accordingly.

https://community.hmrc.gov.uk/customerforums/ifp/b13a344b-3c86-ef11-9442-002248c80eb4

The legal definition of a lodger and excluded occupier is somebody who lives in your home and shares a kitchen, bathroom or living room with you.

Thank you both.

It doesn't have seperate utilities, they're extended from the house so I guess if I rented it it would need to include bills which are minimal, it costs very little to heat.

It's good it's a possibility but I think it might be a no go for now. With them having to pass through the garage and half the garden there's potentially an issue with someone who doesn't respect our property, leaves doors unlocked, etc and I had hoped if it was a lodger scenario I'd be able to ask them to leave, a proper tenant would be much more difficult.

I'll have to think of how to make use of it so gets used regularly. We expect one of the in-laws to be in there eventually.

I wonder if you could do it via Airbnb, but longer terms only considered?
Some people only need a place for a few months (renovating their own homes/moved to a new area/contractors etc).
Is that a way you could rent it out?

I’d suspect that it would be relatively difficult for OP’s cabin to meet the new fire safety regulations required for AirB&Bs. It would be difficult to retrofit things like fire doors, the wall insulation and cladding probably won’t be up to code if the cabin is several years old, and access through a garage with doors locked at both ends would probably cause it to fail an escape route assessment (what happens if guest finds themselves trapped in the garage etc?)

Also, many local authorities now require owners to obtain planning permission if they want to let their property on AirB&B for more than 90 days in a year, and some deny it completely.