Sole Trader + Business Name - Registration Address problems

C

chomick

Guest
Hi,

I would like to set up a business (sole trader) for Online Shop. I would like to register Business Name, too. The problem I have at this moment is that I don't have any physical address I could use for the registration purposes.

I am renting a house and landlord is not willing to let me use this address as an official registration address (I have a statement in the contract to use the property only for domestic purposes).

I don't want to spend money on the office neither as it is too expesive option at this moment and I plan to work from home for now.

My questions are:

  1. What other options I have to register my business name and myself as a sole trader?
  2. If I plan to work from home, despite of using different registration address, do I breach the rent contract by using the property for other purposes?
Thanks,
Darek
 
In order to register a Business name you must supply a principle place of business address. You cannot work from home and have a different principle place of business as your prinicple place of business will be your home.
 
ok, supporting questions:


  • What is the difference between address given for sole trader registration and address given for business name registration?

  • What are/could be the implications for the landlord if I use rented property's address (assuming they are ok with that) as a:

  1. sole trader registration address;
  2. business name registration address;
I have heard that I can use accountant address when registering sole trader. Is that true?
And if yes, can I use the same address for business name registration then?

Thanks,
Darek
 
Hello Darek,

Sole Trader and Business Name registrations are the same thing. Business Name registrations can be in the form of a Sole trader, partnership or when a Limited company registers a business name as a "trading as" name.

As for the second question, there could be implications for your landlord in terms of insurance and planning permission. Do you intend to have any customers visit your workplace? Do you intend to carry any stock? This may have a bearing on whether you may be allowed use the home address as the principle place of business.

Any more questions just pop them up and your bound to get plenty of good answers on the site.
 
Thanks for your answers. I did try to look for the answers in the net but either my search-abilities are not perfect or the answers are not that obvious

In terms of planning permission, I doubt my business would require any - it is an online webshop, no customers visiting and the stock would be minimal and not affecting the property in anyway.

And is that correct that accountant's address can be used for sole trader registration purposes?

Thanks,
Darek
 
chomick said:
... In terms of planning permission, I doubt my business would require any - it is an online webshop, no customers visiting and the stock would be minimal and not affecting the property in anyway...
Click to expand...
It is the premises that would require a planning application for change of use from residential to commercial. This application is irrelevant anyway as your lease precludes commercial use.
 
Thanks for your feedback.

It is the premises that would require a planning application for change of use from residential to commercial. This application is irrelevant anyway as your lease precludes commercial use.
Click to expand...

Oh yes, sorry, it was a shortcut how I wrote it. Of course it is the property that may require planning permission but according to the information I have managed to gather, for my business type it wouldn't require any (following http://www.citizensinformation.ie/c...ing-permission/planning_perm_altering_a_house):


I doubt running an webshop could have any impact on the neighbours or the local community


It looks the situation is not that easy as I thought it could be.


If I understand everything correctly, I have only following options:
  • rent an office;
  • rent a house where I am allowed to run my business (which is not straightforward as landlords either afraid of it for some reason or just don't know what it would mean for them and prefer to say 'no');
Am I missing any other options?

Thanks,
Darek
 
There is lots of business that rent virtual addresses. They can forward mail take deliveries etc.
 
chomick said:
... I doubt running an webshop could have any impact on the neighbours or the local community ...
Click to expand...
You missed out on the "or potential impact" bit of the quote you included. Unfortunately, you would have to convince the planners that there was zero "potential impact" to the change of use.
Nigel Sage said:
There is lots of business that rent virtual addresses. They can forward mail take deliveries etc.
Click to expand...
Which then have to be delivered to a real address, thus achieving nothing other than additional cost / delay for the business owner.
 

I have already checked and virtual office cannot be used for registration purposes.


That's true, however I count on common sense of our governing body and tentative signals I had received suggested it is a realistic assumption But you never know...
 
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