# Do I need specific permission from landlord to run an internet business from home



## newbienz (Oct 14, 2016)

Hi there

My wife intends to run a small internet business from the house we propose to rent

It will involve a few printers etc. Which will be operated in 1 room

Do I need to have a specific clause in the rental agreement to permit this activity?

Thanks for advising


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## Living the dream (Mar 5, 2017)

I can say from pastexperience that this will depend on the fineprint in your lease and your agent/landlord.
If you already have a room dedicated in the lease as a study or similar ir is usually no problem at all.
What might be a problem is the things surrounding an online business.
If it invloves goods and shipping than you need storage.
Most people use the garage for this if permitted in the lease or at least not excluded.
Storing great numbers in goods inside the house can be seen as a problem.
The example for concerns by a landlord is a fire risk.
IMHO it would be best to have a friendly chat with your property manager.
Explain the needs and usage of rooms and if doubt ask if you should take out and extra insurance for this.

All depends on the volume you are dealing with.
Be aware though that some landlords excludes business use for private rentals.
If that is the case for you then ask if that includes online business too as most landloard are only concered about traffic or machine use when it comes to business uses.


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## al_ghazal (Nov 19, 2016)

Assuming you're not running a 'shopfront' I don't think you'll require specific approval for this. Plenty of Australia's work from home.


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## JandE (Jul 17, 2015)

Many landlords will be concerned about any extra costs or regulations incurred regarding council laws in this respect.

An example can be seen here: https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/pla...val/business-projects/operating-home-business

By stating that permission is needed, the owner can avoid problems with council if they get involved.

Also, if someone breaks the rental rules, it allows grounds for a tenants lease to be terminated easier, if needed.


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## newbienz (Oct 14, 2016)

JandE said:


> Many landlords will be concerned about any extra costs or regulations incurred regarding council laws in this respect.
> 
> An example can be seen here: https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/pla...val/business-projects/operating-home-business
> 
> ...


Thanks for the links

But I will be based in Melbourne

Any similar link for VIC also ?

Thanks for advising


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## Living the dream (Mar 5, 2017)

I am near Melbourne myself and had a small Ebay shop for a while.
Here is what I did to avoid troubles, although my landlord at that time was great anyway:
1. Tried to work out how much space for storage before shipping I actually required and since the garage was more than enough I selected it.
2. Got some quotes from insurance companies to include this in a policy or to offer a seperate policy that covers for damages caused by the goods and fire.
As I had to deal with quite a few Li-Ion batteries I added an extra cover to my contents policy to cover for anything that started in the garage other than flooding or storm damage.
3. Went to my agent with a letter to the landlord stating my intentions and asking for permission.
Also added that no traffic will there as I will only post items and get deliveries.

Two weeks later I got a call from my property manager asking for a day and time my landlord could come and check out what I am trying to do.
Storage was already solved for the garage at this point including packing material and boxes.
He said that unless it expands outside or I use rooms in the house just for storage he has no objections.
With that problem out of the way I visited the councils office and asked if there are any things to consider if I would run a small online business from a rental.
Turned out they had no clue on such a small scale but they called me back a few days later to give me this info:
(At least here where I live) There are no requirements, permits or anything for a small business in a residential area.
Only if I would use advertising like big notice boards visible from the road I would have to pay a few - but they could not tell me how much as so far they had no such case LOL
Did not need signs anyway so all was clear.

On the other side of the city my sister had a neighbour with his online business going badly wrong.
Turned out his landlord was not informed about the business and since he sold fish and aquarium plants several tanks were put up inside the house as well as outside.
Same story for the council, no consent and no info to them meant after the landlord contacted them they put out fines.
According to their council bylaws you need written permission for any kind of business operating from within a residential area.
And since he got a lot of customers coming in every day...
The neighbour got evicted with a 2 weeks notice...

It really pays off to seek all info first before investing money in a business that might not be tolerated.
With landlord and property manager happy the council is only a problem if the bylaws won't allow you easy start of a business.
But without actual traffic on the property and all online with postal or courier shipping there is usually little to no objection at all.
Insurance would be my only real concern in this case as it really helps to keep a landlord happy.
After all they would not be covered if something goes wrong from a business if the cause can't be linked to something outside the business part.
The last thing you should be aware of is that running a business, even online, might require you to get a ABN number.
If you fail here it might become very costly if the tax department knocks on your door.
Legal Aid can be a free and easy way to get vital info specific to your needs.


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## aatifa (Jun 17, 2017)

landlord insurance covers residential and not business.
landlord would have to be advised as it would affect their insurance.
also it affects contents insurance for the tenant.


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## BiancaE (Jul 4, 2017)

Thanks for all the info


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## shenntzaw (Aug 2, 2017)

no if it doesn't impact him - storage, items, etc. Check your housing contract.


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