There are two main factors think about:
- Do you own or rent your home?
- Does the zoning where you live allow home businesses?
While I can understand the landlord's concerns, my heart goes out to the woman who is probably just trying to make ends meet by starting a daycare from home.
Many communities have zoning laws in place that restrict, or even prohibit, businesses that are run from a home. Over at Home Biz Notes, they recently ran a series on zoning regulations that prohibit home business. This post shares the recent story of a man who wanted to operated a water damage clean up business from his home, but was turned down by the zoning commission.
In this situation, I wonder what the poor man and his family did. It seems that they would have to move if they wanted to be able to stay in business.
I'm not a lawyer, and I haven't consulted with a lawyer about this situation. (Always consult with your own attorney for advice specific to your particular situation.) However, I did find some business law tips for home business owners at the FreeAdvice blog.
Researching this story made me go to the zoning ordinances web page of my own city. Fortunately, I did not see anything there against operating a home business. (Some zoning regulations are complex. Consult a professional if you have trouble understanding the zoning restrictions where you live.)
What about you? Have you faced landlord or zoning objections to your home business? If so, how did you handle it?
Leave a comment and let us know.
I didn't even think about zoning laws - but I wonder how this applies to home 'offices' like for web workers. Would they be subject to abide by the same regulations.
Posted by: Tanya | March 6, 2008 10:33 AM | Permalink to Comment