Homeworkers as tenants

Advertising rentals for people who work from home

Recently a tenant asked us a question that we’re expecting to hear more and more often.
Did we have, she asked, any flats with a room suitable for a home office?

She’s a single professional web designer who mostly works from home: she wants a reception room to relax, plus of course a bedroom – and another room that’s just for work. We started wondering how a landlord would advertise that sort of property: two bedrooms, or two receptions? And then we thought, the landlord should really be calling it a property with a home office!

Aiming at people working from home is a fantastic way to market “one-and-a-half bed” properties: those with a single room that’s too small for a bedroom for an adult, but which would make a perfect home office. Plenty of landlords worry about tenants with small children, so by advertising as a home office rather than a bedroom, they appeal to the professional tenants they prefer. Bear in mind though: many people who work from home will be self-employed, so you may want to take a reference from an accountant or other colleague rather than expecting to be able to verify salary with an employer.

For those who prefer to keep options open, dressing the room with hired or borrowed furniture means you can present it as an office, while still offering the option of use as a bedroom if that’s what your tenant prefers. Alternatively, you can furnish for flexibility with a sofabed or futon, and cupboards that conceal a computer desk and shelving.

Anyone working from home is going to need broadband – but then again, most tenants will want this too. All landlords these days should be offering broadband points as well as phone points. If they’re not already fitted, you will be faced with a new tenant who wants to have BT or Virgin round to fit broadband, and that means drilling into or even through the walls, plus of course added expense for your tenant. It’s better to have the connection points fitted yourself; that way, you get to advertise your property as “broadband ready” – which again, will help to attract professional tenants.

Using home as an office shouldn’t be a problem if your tenant is solely working on paperwork or the internet, but beware of those who want to have clients and customers call at the property.

This may require planning consent to change of use, so you and your tenant should consult with your local authority before you agree to this.