Buying a house with equestrian facilities and renting out the equestrian part

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Am I mad to consider doing this?

Is there a market for renting equestrian facilities? The facilities are 6 stables, 10 acres of grazing, sand school, tack room, toilet.

Yes... around here (Herts/bucks) it'd be snapped up.

However, how close are the facilities to the house? Will it bother you having people coming and going? Just one person with multiple horses, or multiple owners?

I've always been on a livery yard so things like muck heap removal/fence maintence etc have been sorted for me, I guess that you'd have to agree in advance with prospective tenants who is responsible

It could be a lot of hassle. People coming and going at all times, and all the associated things like feed deliveries, hay and bedding storage and muck heap disposal. There may also be an issue with it being a business as opposed to private, so you would have to check with your local coucil. If you really want to let it, it would probably be better to a responsible individual (and note the word responsible!) rather than several diy liveries. Personally I wouldn't, it's a real imposition having strangers around your property, and I speak from experience.

There is definitely a market for renting out equestrian facilities, but the question would be would you want to do it?

Having land is hard work!! There is an awful lot of maintenance required keeping things up together. Fencing breaks, sand schools require regular harrowing, fields needs harrowing, rolling, spraying etc. Horses break stuff a lot too!

Would you be thinking of renting the whole thing out to one person or renting the stables individually? The former would probably be easier for you as they would likely be responsible for upkeep of the fields at least, although who knows if they actually will. The latter would mean you will need to do all that yourself so will need specialist equipment (probably a quad) to maintain it all.

They'll need access to the yard 24/7 (in case of emergency or early mornings/late nights for shows etc) so you will have people coming and going at all hours. Would you mind that?

Yes definitely but as others have said you need to be prepared for strangers wandering around at all hours especially if theres a need for a vet etc

Maintenance of fencing and paddocks needs to be set in stone and rules about the age of visitors and who's responsible for the insurance of the buildings and horse boxes stored on the property. Are the tack rooms/stables secure and will you insure them against theft/kit them out with cctv and good quality lighting etc Genuinely secure and well maintained premises generally make more money. If theyre not would you be willing to allow whoever rents to upgrade everything to suit?

You will also need to consider possible business rates payable, speak to your council about that and look at tax that may be payable too.

Theres lots to consider and lots of call for high quality stabling. Theres little call for crumbly stabling, flooded land, poor grazing etc but charged as though its high end.

Where are you? It'd be snapped up here too.

Looking in Surrey / Sussex
Would be looking to rent to one tenant. I would not be providing a livery service.

Do you have your own horse/s or is it just that you like the house and it just so happens to come with stables etc? I'd do it. Its very horsey down there so I imagine it'd rent out quickly.

I don't have my own horses. But I can ride and know the basics of stable management. However I'm a novice and I've never had a horse before (just done riding school and shared a pony) so I wouldn't have the experience to keep horses at home.
But getting my own could be an option in the future

Sussex yes. Big yes infact. We're certainly horsey folk round these parts

You are best speaking to a local land agent for advice to understand your options in terms of lease v license - complicated but you don't want to have someone there that you can't move on if thing's aren't working. An agent will also give you advice about controlling use, access, times of access, repairs and land management, insurance, use of CCTV, utilities (electric, water etc - someone needs to foot the bill). Shared access over a single driveway can be an issue and also whether your occupier takes on sub- tenants. Again all needs to be set out in the terms of the agreement from the start so there is clear understanding. At the moment if the stables are part of the house they will probably not be subject to business rates as deemed part of the ordinary enjoyment of the dwelling house, but if you lease the stables out then strictly they do become taxable (rates are only on buildings and not pasture) and this is again something that needs to be included in the lease agreement - as this is a tax on occupation. If you dont want the hassle of being a Landlord, then consider letting the land to a sheep farmer (through an agent using a standard form of agreement) then at least the land will be kept tidy and the farmer will probably just check twice daily. No business rates on buildings used for farming livestock, even if they are stables. Hope this helps!

If such a property existed surely it would be bought by people who have their own horses. I don't think it sound big enough for a business and I think it would be a lot of headaches for you - at very little profit - and you'll be spending a small fortune premium to buy it over a normal property. If you were planning on keeping your own horses and taking on other customers to pay the bills I could understand it but not if you don't have horses of your own.