Reply to: Can somebody recommend a good reliable company ?

[CompulsiveArsonist]

Neighbour renting in the building I live in has his company registered at the address. Landlord doesn't care as long as the rent gets paid.
My registered address is at my accountants, and my place of business/personal address is my parents house.

[Einstein Jnr]

I started using MadeSimple about 5 months ago - I use their basic service which only forwards government mail which works for me as I don't receive packages etc so the only other mail would be junk mail. The only thing I find abit strange is every once in a while I see someone else with the same business address - I guess it's bound to happen if you use a shared address.

[SueEllen]

I used these, and would recommend:
Office Space & Virtual Office Services | Your City Office

I used to use Regus but would not recommend them at all. Mainly for their small print that requires effectively 15 months notice to terminate the contract, but also for the time they started answering my phone number in another company's name for I don't know how long (and they refused to tell me) until I noticed.

I have also had that thing in my rental contracts sometimes, but the landlords were always OK once I pointed out I wasn't running a chip shop or anything like that, and wouldn't be seeing customers there, and the fewer barriers he put in the way of my business the easier it would be for me to afford the rent. You must have been unlucky.

tl

I've been told off cheaper companies. I have no idea how reliable they are as I've personally not used them myself but they are easily found through Google.

[thunderlizard]

I used these, and would recommend:
Office Space & Virtual Office Services | Your City Office


I used to use Regus but would not recommend them at all. Mainly for their small print that requires effectively 15 months notice to terminate the contract, but also for the time they started answering my phone number in another company's name for I don't know how long (and they refused to tell me) until I noticed.

I have also had that thing in my rental contracts sometimes, but the landlords were always OK once I pointed out I wasn't running a chip shop or anything like that, and wouldn't be seeing customers there, and the fewer barriers he put in the way of my business the easier it would be for me to afford the rent. You must have been unlucky.

tl

[northernladuk]

That's ludicrous. If you rent somewhere it's your home; the landlord doesn't have control of what you get up to and certainly isn't liable for anything you do there beyond how it concerns his physical property.

This is why you shouldn't tell the landlord: they're likely to be completely ignorant of the true situation.

He has all the control afforded to him in the tenancy agreement you both signed. In general what you do in the house he has no control over but you are now talking about registering and possibly running a business which isn't anything to do with you living in a residential let property so he can control it. It's explicitly laid out in the agreement and I am sure its explicitly laid out in the landlords and potentially the tenants insurance. I think you are wrong about the liability as well but I don't fully know so that's why you don't allow it.

Like contracting I guess the thing to do is to negotiate and check. Some landlords may be ok, some won't but I don't think not telling him is the best option IMO.

'Likely' being the keyword but if he becomes aware of it you could be looking at a swift(ish) enforced move.

[Hobosapien]

That's ludicrous. If you rent somewhere it's your home; the landlord doesn't have control of what you get up to and certainly isn't liable for anything you do there beyond how it concerns his physical property.

This is why you shouldn't tell the landlord: they're likely to be completely ignorant of the true situation.

Many have restrictions on running a business from their property. Usually to avoid people selling stuff from there and having loads of customers causing chaos in the neighbourhood and the landlord being done for commercial property/business rates, or it invalidating their buildings insurance.

As a tenant you might not care about all that, until you're turfed out for breaching the rules/tenancy agreement.

[Hobosapien]

Your dad? As a shareholder as well?

Not a shareholder. He was only company secretary due to the old rules where there had to be one and if the owner (shareholder, me) was sole director then company secretary had to be someone else, so minimum of two people in charge of a company. No longer applies and 'one man bands' can be just one person in control of a ltd these days, so even simpler.

Back then I think the only legal duty he had was to be co-signer on the company accounts.

There were other benefits to using parents (or close relative) as permanent address, which may be more relevant to this thread, such as being able to rent the property near the client and claim 'working away from home' expenses as it was easy to prove the rental was only needed due to location of the client. Claimed travel expenses to client site from rented address during week and for going back home at weekends.

Rules have changes since then so not sure what current benefits there would be, but there may be more than meets the eye.

So it's not just the legal aspects to consider when deciding where you're officially based.

[VectraMan]

But you are talking about IT contractor as a contractor so you know the in's and out's. A landlord doesn't. He has to take a risk based approach and that's going to be pretty low if they have any sense. He doesn't know what the guy is going to end up doing or what the implications of having a registered business at his address. Hell, I'm a contractor and even I don't know what the risks of a tenant having his business registered at my properties address. What am I liable for, what happens to debts yadda yadda so unless it's pretty clear cut then of course the answer is no.

That's ludicrous. If you rent somewhere it's your home; the landlord doesn't have control of what you get up to and certainly isn't liable for anything you do there beyond how it concerns his physical property.

This is why you shouldn't tell the landlord: they're likely to be completely ignorant of the true situation.

[northernladuk]

Housing law is different from other contract law.

The fact the property is the tenant's home is more important legally than the fact that you own the property in regards to what goes on within it.

So you cannot kick a tenant out for running business during the fixed part of the tenancy.

In the case of running a business unless they are causing a nuisance you can't stop them. Even then it won't be you stopping them it will be the council or the police with possibly the help of the neighbours.

If you don't want a tenant doing things that break restrictive covenants, insurance etc you need to make it clear in the contract that you will pursue them for any losses that are linked to them doing these things.

I appreciate it's a minefield but I am sure this isn't the case. He's breached contract. There are always avenues to take when contracts are breached.

Having a brief scan one of the Grounds for eviction is..

Breach of tenancy condition

(two weeks' notice required)

If you have broken a rule laid down in your tenancy agreement, this ground can be used. It cannot be used in relation to rent arrears.

Granted it has to go to court and be deemed reasonable and so on but it's possible.

[northernladuk]

The last tenancy agreement I had said something like that IIRC, but as every IT contractor runs their business from the home address having somebody else act as registered office makes no difference; you're in theory in breach of the agreement just by doing admin work there. In practice "run a business" really means you can't have it open to the public, unless it says something more specific.

OTOH the landlord has no right to open your mail and part of renting means you have the right to have mail delivered to your property, and that means registering that address for all sorts of things.

But you are talking about IT contractor as a contractor so you know the in's and out's. A landlord doesn't. He has to take a risk based approach and that's going to be pretty low if they have any sense. He doesn't know what the guy is going to end up doing or what the implications of having a registered business at his address. Hell, I'm a contractor and even I don't know what the risks of a tenant having his business registered at my properties address. What am I liable for, what happens to debts yadda yadda so unless it's pretty clear cut then of course the answer is no.

We could debate it all day long really and is really down to the attitudes of the tenant and the landlord. If the tenant doesn't mind having his home at risk because he's knowingly breached his contract then fair enough fill your boots. If the landlord thinks there is no risk and approves then fair enough as well.

If however the tenant classes that as his home and isn't interested in getting in to trouble and possibly having to move then it's better to find alternative arrangements and not just fail to tell his landlord something. That's just my opinion on it.

If you're stupid enough to ask the landlord he's only ever going to say "no", probably without understanding what it really means. If you asked your landlord if he minded you having a couple of letters per year delivered there he'd look at you like an idiot and say "yes of course you can".

Is just rubbish. You ask him because it's in the contract you signed. It's nothing to do with being stupid. Not asking him and breaching your agreement is stupid. And it's not a matter of having a couple of letters delivered. It's registering a business and everything that comes with it, which he won't really know.

What about the landlords insurance? I am sure that will say something about it being residential so anything to do with business and the property potentially invalidates the insurances. It's just too complicated for landlords to get involved in.

[SueEllen]

But this issue IS with his landlord. The landlord won't let him register his address at the tenanted property. You said 'Why did you tell them?' which I assume means why did you tell the landlord and not just do it. Have I got this wrong?

He asked the question of the landlord as normal tenancy agreements don't allow business to be run from the address. Not telling the landlord puts you in breach of your agreement. I think someone said you can't just throw someone out for this which I am not sure is the case. He's breached the agreement so the protection offered is no longer valid surely? I'm sure it's complicated but either way you just don't want to be buggering about with the place you live in over a minor issue of registering the business at your accountant or anything.
.

Housing law is different from other contract law.

The fact the property is the tenant's home is more important legally than the fact that you own the property in regards to what goes on within it.

So you cannot kick a tenant out for running business during the fixed part of the tenancy.

In the case of running a business unless they are causing a nuisance you can't stop them. Even then it won't be you stopping them it will be the council or the police with possibly the help of the neighbours.

If you don't want a tenant doing things that break restrictive covenants, insurance etc you need to make it clear in the contract that you will pursue them for any losses that are linked to them doing these things.

[VectraMan]

But this issue IS with his landlord. The landlord won't let him register his address at the tenanted property. You said 'Why did you tell them?' which I assume means why did you tell the landlord and not just do it. Have I got this wrong?

He asked the question of the landlord as normal tenancy agreements don't allow business to be run from the address.

The last tenancy agreement I had said something like that IIRC, but as every IT contractor runs their business from the home address having somebody else act as registered office makes no difference; you're in theory in breach of the agreement just by doing admin work there. In practice "run a business" really means you can't have it open to the public, unless it says something more specific.

OTOH the landlord has no right to open your mail and part of renting means you have the right to have mail delivered to your property, and that means registering that address for all sorts of things.

If you're stupid enough to ask the landlord he's only ever going to say "no", probably without understanding what it really means. If you asked your landlord if he minded you having a couple of letters per year delivered there he'd look at you like an idiot and say "yes of course you can".

[SueEllen]

Erm, thanks for stating the obvious. Plenty also have their parents as shareholders which is an issue hence the question.

It's up to them and the advice they took from their accountant.

Anyway this thread is on finding another address for the company.

[northernladuk]

Lots of people have members of their family as directors and company secretary it doesn't mean they are a shareholder or an employee.

Erm, thanks for stating the obvious. Plenty also have their parents as shareholders which is an issue hence the question.

[northernladuk]

Unless you're his landlord how do you know what's in his tenancy agreement or even if he has a tenancy agreement?

But this issue IS with his landlord. The landlord won't let him register his address at the tenanted property. You said 'Why did you tell them?' which I assume means why did you tell the landlord and not just do it. Have I got this wrong?

He asked the question of the landlord as normal tenancy agreements don't allow business to be run from the address. Not telling the landlord puts you in breach of your agreement. I think someone said you can't just throw someone out for this which I am not sure is the case. He's breached the agreement so the protection offered is no longer valid surely? I'm sure it's complicated but either way you just don't want to be buggering about with the place you live in over a minor issue of registering the business at your accountant or anything.

As a landlord I wouldn't be best pleased if I found out a tenant had registered a company at my property, dependant on the circumstances, I'd certainly be looking at my options to end the agreement if the situation isn't corrected.