Working from home - info requested.

[Cosmos1]

Please advise on this...

First of all, let me be clear. This is not an immigration question. I am British citizen.
I thought I will ask this question here, since there are many immigrant entrepreneurs starting business here, so they may know about the topic.
Thanks in advance for any info.

My question is about whether there are any mandatory legal requirements that forces me to hire an office space for my 100% online based business.

I am running an online based business, essentially a software application product that I sell via my website.
Customers buy from my web site (through my ecommerce reseller), and the support I provide is only through email.
There are no visits from my customers at any point in time. All communications are through email only. This is a typical 3-rd party standalone software vendor business.

To develop this and more software products that I sell, all I need is my laptop, nothing more special.
I am a one man developer company (Ltd. Company). The business is doing good.

I don’t want to hire a separate office space for this business (i.e. trading office), since I don’t need one.
It will be just me only at any point in time developing this software, and I do it at any time (no fixed hours a day), and upload it to my web server for customers purchase.
I use my laptop and can develop the software from anywhere in my house, no fixed place is needed.

Now, the question is this: Are there any complications in working from home for my business?
I checked with council, and they said if I don’t have any visitors for my business, or if the house or rooms are not to be modified for the needs of my business, and no banners etc are placed in the house/outside, there are no complications from working from home (online business) from council's side of things – i.e. no separate business rates or permissions are needed.

Of course, as is normal, I have business insurance covering my business (i.e. Employers liability, prof. indemnity, legal exps insurance, etc) and also have an accountant for me who does my accounts, vat returns, etc., who are my regd. office as well.

My landlord does not object to this as well, since there is nothing special about the business, since everything is online, and i just need my laptop for development.

Are there any other issues to check out or get sorted around working from home (“online only” business).

Or should i have to hire an office space for doing my business - i.e. develop my software in my laptop.
I have no idea what i can do with a separate office, since it will be only me, and i will actually feel lonely there compared to doing it from the comfort of my sofa at home.

Sorry for the long post, but I thought I make things a bit clear, so can get some clear answers.

[Cosmos1]

Guys - can anybody help throw some information on this please.

[Wanderer]

It's all fine, and you can claim £4 a week against tax for home office expenses. Yes - four quid!

[Cosmos1]

Excellent, thanks.

So there is no legal requirement that forces me to hire an office space, when i don't require it at all for all practical business purposes (as detailed in my post) then?

That is quite a relief

In the meantime i was shopping around for an office space (one man / desk space), just in case it was compulsory to have one, but found it very silly, since at no point in time i i will need to walk away from the luxury of my own home to do my work (on my laptop) and make sales online!
And hence i won't be effectively using the office space at all, even if i hired one.

For VAT registration, the VAT office in fact insisted that they wanted to have my home address (Director's address) since I told them i do all of my work from my laptop and from home, and sell it online.
But many people (online research of course) say that VAT people wants us to have an office space, whether you practically need it or not! That sounded crazy to me (if what they say is correct, It surprises me that the VAT man does not know what businesses/business mode of working has evolved into these days ), but that is also one reason why i posted here, to get some information on this.

Anyway, Thanks once again for your answer.

Cheers.

[Wanderer]

Nothing to do with HMRC/VAT/CT man how/where you run your business so long as it's legal and you pay your taxes.

I would prefer to have a separate registered office for business, perhaps your accountant can provide that, or a PO BOX. No legal requirement, just that's what I do so there's no future issues with Landlord (I know he said it's ok but best to think ahead) - people change plus it keeps all the official brown envelopes away from your takeaway menus and beer/wine offer leaflets from Oddbins...

[Cosmos1]

Thanks, Yes my registered office is already setup as my Accountants's office address.
All of the CompaniesHouse things go there.
It is a package they offer.
But i can't use that (registered office) as Business address as well, that is all, and they also know my software business model - i.e. that i don't need a specific business office address on hire, so the business address is my home address.

But whenever I researched about having my home address as Business address, people give scary answers saying what about having stock in trade, deliveries coming to your house for delivering office stationary, etc so you cannot have the home address as Business address.

IN my case, there is none of those things: My customers don;t visit me – the support is all through email.
There is no stock in trade... my stock in trade is licenses I issue to my customers – which is a text file  that I keep in the server with my reseller
There are no deliveries coming to me – I go and buy from Argos, may be, some USB stick
I wonder why people think business as manufacturing only

Cheers.