ForumsLegal and Insurance

I think the first question is whether putting a retail shop in your home is legal. Is it?

My guess is that it's not. Your home is probably not zoned for retail use.

If you're using your home illegally, it's going to be difficult to get insurance, for either the home or the business.

The problem is that if you don't disclose the business and file a claim, they won't pay it once they learned that you ran a business there. And if you disclose the business, they probably won't insure you at all unless your home is zoned for retail use.

Check out this article:

http://www.entrepreneur.com/homebasedbiz/homebasedbasics/insurance/article159846.html

The woman quoted in the beginning is in Florida, so maybe she can help.

Hi, Thanks fon your info. Am I allowed to post my web store? If so, I would be happy to consider doing so. I sell antiques, textiles and interior and architectural decor. I sell on the internet and also in local antique malls and markets. I didn't give my name or email address because I thought it would be safer to have contacts or referrals posted directly on this site for both my benefit and those of others with similar questions and concerns. No, I'm not doing anything illegal'; is there some reason that you thought so? I did ask my agent about insurance if I opened a store in a portion of my home and the agent, or a representative of the agent, was the one who told me that NO one would provide that type of insurance. I know there are many B&Bs in Florida and some in our area, and surely they have insurance. I could check with them, but since it is a completely different type of business I didn't think their type of insurance would be applicable. Thanks again for your response.

Mercibeaucoup, just to clarify, I don't think anyone was implying that you were engaged in illegal activity -- the intended point was that in many jurisdictions, is it illegal to operate a retail establishment from a residential address. So I think the suggestion was that, before searching for insurance, you verify that there are no county, city, zoning, neighborhood, or homeowner association restrictions that make getting insurance a moot point. (By the way, in most places, B&Bs are required to apply for and receive a special type of zoning variance and business permit, so you can't really compare a retail operation to one of those.)

If it's legal to run a retail operation from a home in your neighborhood, then other people are probably doing it, and someone is probably selling them insurance. In that case, I'd check your city/county records (public information, possibly available on-line) for retail businesses with a residential address near yours -- then contact them, see what types of insurance policies they have, and who underwrites them.

Best wishes.

That sounds like a great idea! It` s nothing like working from your own home. Here is a link that should be very helpful for you on having you own business, especially in your home. www.smallbiztoolbox.info and click on "WATCH MOVIE" link for a overview of what they can do for your small business.

Good luck & God bless.
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