For large swaths of the British population, our home is our pension. That said, our bricks and mortar needn’t just sit there inertly. Here are 10 ways in which we can make our main residence work for us and provide extra income.
1. Go into showbiz
You can make from £750 to £5,000 a day by hiring out your home as a film location. Magazine work is less well paid (£500 to £1,500), but it’s also less disruptive as there aren’t film crews trampling over your lawns and flower beds. The first step is to get your home on to the books of an agent. They’ll handle contracts, ensure you receive the right fee and take a 15 per cent commission.
2. Open a B&B
Not for the faint-hearted, and especially not for home owners who aren’t naturally outgoing. Some people may resent the presence of guests in their homes, even if they are paying. The secret is to view your customers as human beings, not visiting cash dispensers. And don’t put up little “Please Do Not” notices all around the house. The best preparation for B&B wannabes is the book Start and Run a Bed & Breakfast by David and Louise Watson. He’s the chief executive of the Bed & Breakfast Association, and the book is advertised on www.bandbassociation.org.
3. Generate electricity
There are several ways of producing energy in your home. You can install solar panels, erect a wind turbine, or set up a small hydroelectric scheme. Not only can you use the power yourself, you can sell the surplus to your chosen electricity supplier. According to the Energy Saving Trust (www.energysavingtrust.org.uk), a typical domestic set-up could earn £730 in terms of electricity sold, and another £110 in reduced bills.
4. Start a cookery school
You’ve got the kitchen – just buy a few more pots and pans and pairs of oven gloves. If you’re doing it seriously, you may need to get planning consent for change of use (from residential to commercial), plus extra insurance cover and clearance from a local fire-safety officer. But basically, you’ve got ready-made business premises. For examples of people who have done it, see the Brook Hall Cookery School in Bucks (www.brookhall.net), the Avenue Cookery School in Putney (www.theavenuecookeryschool.com) and the Orchards Cookery school in Evesham (www.orchardscookery.co.uk).
5. Become a property developer
If you own your house, you own the land. And unless your property is heritage-listed, you may be able to get permission to knock it down and build two new (better) houses on the same plot. This is usually only viable in reasonably expensive areas, as the cost of construction remains constant, but the higher the price you can get for the new homes, the more profitable the venture will be. Post-construction, you can decide to live in one of the new places, or sell both. The biggest barriers are the local planning department and the reaction of your neighbours. Also, government departments have started making noises about limiting “garden-grabbing”. During 1994-1997, only 11 per cent of new houses in England were built on previously residential land, but from 2006-2009, the figure went up to 25 per cent.
6. Take in a lodger
There’s a big demand for rental at the moment. The website LSL Property Services says average rents in England and Wales are at a record high of £701 per month. There’s a good practical guide on www.lodgers.com, as well as rovsters own flatshare section at www.rovster.com, which will show what else is available in your area and the going rates. Note that you will be sharing the premises with the lodger, and they will need access to a communal area (the kitchen, at least). This will involve a lifestyle change, but the inconvenience may be worth it.
7. Become a Streetcar location
Hire-by-the-hour firm Streetcar (www.streetcar.co.uk) uses your premises to station one of their vehicles and, in return, they give you 20 hours’ free use of the car per month (worth more than £100, depending on the type of car used). If you don’t need to use your car every day, doing this might well enable you to sell your own car and save £6,000 a year, which is what the AA reckons it costs to run a car.
8. Hire out your front drive
This service is in particular demand among commuters who need somewhere to park on a regular basis. It’s most likely to pay if you live near a mainline station or city centre. The going rate is £40-£75 a month in most areas, but it shoots up dramatically in city centres (Manchester £130, London £375-£600 per month). You can also rent out your garage through the same company, Parklet, www.parklet.co.uk.
9. Do a holiday swap
Save a fortune on hotel bills by joining a holiday homeswap website. You spend your holidays in a Paris apartment or Mediterranean villa while the owners stay at your house. The first time is the hardest; however, once you’ve found that your guests haven’t destroyed your home, you stop worrying. Two of the longest established websites are www.homelink.org.uk and www.homeexchange.com. Annual subscription is around £120.
10. Cash in the attic
Now’s the time to de-clutter and see if you’ve got some hidden gems. Find a plate made by pottery firm Poole Studio in the Sixties and it could be worth £5,000. The holy grail, though, is a Rupert Bear annual from 1973, which is worth £20,000 if Rupert has a brown face, rather than white. You can sell your treasures at a car boot sale (pay £5-10 for a pitch), or flog them for free in your front garden – but do advertise beforehand.