Registering a new address for a garden office?

A question about : Registering a new address for a garden office?

Wasn't really sure where to post this...

We currently rent an office in a business centre but this is costing us around Ј450 per month (inc vat). As there's currently only two of us, we have been looking at buying a garden building to use as an office instead.

In comparison, it will cost around Ј2600-Ј3000 to buy the building and have electricity connected (fed from the house).

What I'm wondering is would there be any way of registering a seperate address for the garden office rather than having to use our home address for the business?

Thanks

Best answers:

• Yes.
  You apply to your local council for planning permission to subdivide your garden, change of use from residential to commercial, and for erection of a commercial building.
  The council will then allocate a building number and record this on the official gazetteer, and inform Royal Mail who will then allocate a postcode and include the office in the delivery points database.
  Or you can use a Post Office Box which for delivery will cost Ј313 per year
• And to add to Owain's point, if you do go through all of that there will definitely be some tax consequences. I'm not confident I can list all of them, but I'm sure of some. Plus, if you've got a mortgage on your house you'd need your lender's permission to hive off half the garden - and you might not get that permission.
  I think the post office box / registered office service / some other redirection would be a much cheaper way of getting what you want.
• Not to mention the fact there is very little hope of getting planning permission to erect a commercial building in your back garden.
• Even if you obtained Planning Permission for a commercial building in your back garden, the address would still be an address in what I assume is a residential area and to the public and other businesses the business would still be regarded as a business in a back garden.
• Thanks - a lot to think about.
  Quote:
• Er, if your company's office is in your back garden then giving out that address instead of your home address will to protect your privacy much...
  You could move to your back garden and keep your address at the business centre if they provide that service, or get a virtual address somewhere.
  Regarding the garden office itself, as suggested, you should consider all aspects carefully, including planning, tax, etc.
  Do get proper advice first before doing anything.
• Better off just keeping it as a garden shed that's also used for business. Converting it will cause too many problems, and there doesn't seem to be many advantages.