Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm looking to start doing some automotive repairs on the side and car detailing.
I'm getting ready to move into another apartment. Question is should I rent a house out that has a home garage or should I move into 1br or studio apartment and rent out a garage. Which would be better?
thx in advance
Be aware that many zoning codes preclude having the type of business you're talking about located in a residentially zoned area. Worst case scenario: you rent the house with the garage, start your business, local Code Enforcement lands on you (and probably your landlord) like a ton of bricks. Fines, Cease and Desist orders, the whole ball.
Also, many residential leases preclude you from doing what you propose.
Rent a space, if you move in to a neighborhood and start doing "work" on peoples cars, it will not take long before you visits from your local authorities
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,551 posts, read 81,085,957 times
Reputation: 57750
Quote:
Originally Posted by Me007gold
:facepalm:
Rent a space, if you move in to a neighborhood and start doing "work" on peoples cars, it will not take long before you visits from your local authorities
Here in our small city, despite laws that prevent you from cutting down your own trees, home based business is encouraged. There are strict rules, however, including a business license. They do allow the kind of automotive work suggested by the OP, however there are requirements for things like flammables storage, working hours, number of customers per day, and keeping vehicles under repair out of sight.
I'd be more concerned about the owner of a garage not allowing repairs to be done regularly, especially for pay, in their garage. There would be liability issues. If you were to rent commercial space you would have to do a lot more than sidework to afford the rent, business insurance, and utilities.
A buddy was doing side work out of an industrial park. When the EPA found out used motor oil was seeping into the ground from this operation, they slapped him with a $30K fine, and the bill to clean it up.
Zoning regulations break down into as many as a dozen different categories. You need to go to the zoning commission in the relevant municipality, and determine exactly what kinds of businesses are permitted and which are not. Zone boundaries can be anywhere -- your next door neighbor might re able to have an abbatoir, and you can't even do people's tax accounting, if that's where the zoning line is. But it's not that hard to get the zoning changed, if your neighbors don't object. In other cases, some entire counties have no zoning at all.
As above, make sure you can do this out of your garage. If its allowed and you have the space, I'm all for at home work as long as you don't break any laws or **** off the neighbors.
No matter what option, make sure you are properly insured. Running a small business is never worth losing you home and everything you worked for because some small lawsuit or injury.
As above, make sure you can do this out of your garage. If its allowed and you have the space, I'm all for at home work as long as you don't break any laws or **** off the neighbors.
No matter what option, make sure you are properly insured. Running a small business is never worth losing you home and everything you worked for because some small lawsuit or injury.
This is really something better asked on the forum for the area that you live in. The huge variability of local zoning ordinances, business laws and requirements makes it impossible to give you a direct answer. In some places, what you are proposing to do is acceptable within certain limits, other places it's a massive no-no. Some areas allow "shade tree" operations without forming a business, others require the formation of a business to engage in that work. Only someone familiar with your exact location and local requirements can really tell you which path, if either, is going to work out. Hopefully, at the very least someone else on the location specific forum could at least tell you whom to talk to.
Adding to the complexity you also have the issue of whether or not the person leasing you either the home with a garage or the garage space is going to allow you to do that kind of work on their property. Most residential leases won't allow it and the leasing of commercial garage space would most likely require you to have a properly formed, licensed, bonded and insured business to remove any liability to the lessor.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
