Running a Home Dog Grooming Salon: Planning and Rates

Do you need planning permission to groom dogs from home?

Not always. Planning permission is needed where using your home for business is a material change of use. The Planning Portal sets out four questions: will the home no longer be used mainly as a private residence; will there be a marked rise in traffic or people calling; will the business involve activities unusual in a residential area; will it disturb neighbours at unreasonable hours or cause noise or smells. A yes to any is a sign you may need permission. This is a guide to the questions, not legal advice: ask your council's planning department.

What makes a home salon more likely to need permission?

Several clients a day arriving and parking, dogs barking while they wait, dryers audible next door, long or weekend hours, a converted garage or garden building used only for the business, and staff. A one-dog-at-a-time salon with spaced appointments is less likely to change the character of a home than a busy one. If unsure, you can apply to the council for a Lawful Development Certificate confirming the use is lawful.

Will you pay business rates?

Possibly. Gov.uk says business rates may apply where you sell services to people who visit your property, employ people there, or have made changes to your home for the business, and gives "converted a garage to a hairdresser's" as an example, which is close to most home grooming salons. The Valuation Office Agency decides. In England, small business rate relief means no rates are paid on a single property with a rateable value of £12,000 or less, tapering to £15,000. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own relief schemes.

What else should you check?

Your mortgage lender or landlord, whose terms may restrict business use. Your home insurance, which usually excludes business activity; you need separate business cover. Deeds and covenants, some of which forbid trades. Waste: hair and waste from the business part of your home is business waste, needing a registered carrier. Drains: hair traps on the bath outlet prevent blockages.

Will your home address be published?

Not on this site. Your street address is your home address. On doggrooming.trade, home salons are shown by town and the first half of the postcode, not the street, unless you publish your address yourself. Many home groomers give the full address only when a booking is confirmed.

Common questions