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MichDream2017

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sorry if this has been asked before. i searched and didnt see a topic relating to it. is it mandatory for an innkeeper to reside IN the bed and breakfast? is it acceptable for an innkeeper to live in a separate building on the property or, in special cases, live off site completely?
 
Welcome! Can you tell us about yourself?
I have a 6 room b&b on Boston's North Shore. We have a separate apartment with doors that lock, but it is attached to the house.
 
thank you beach house!
my fiancee and i are in the early stages of trying to get into the B&B business. i work in a factory and she works in banking. we both hate the industries in which we work because our talents are wasted in these jobs and we dont enjoy the rat race lifestyle. our personalities are not meant to live and work in the corporate world. we are looking to eventually open up a b&B in the lower peninsula of michigan where we can live as our own bosses and run our own company. in no way do we think running a b &B will be easy but we know that we hate working in fast paced factory and banking. we are looking to live comfortably and understand that we will in no way become rich doing this. we just want out of corporate america as much as we can be. we were wondering about the living quarters since we have pets that i highly doubt guests will love as much as we do, so we want to keep them away from the actual b&B. living offsite would not be ideal but we were wondering if it was even an option.
 
its not mandatory in the UK but you must have more extensive fire alarms etc - I would not however recommend it as its always weird things that have to be dealt with at 2am! plus I am also not keen on guests knowing you are not there as its always the unmanned properties round me that get the trouble ie they check your reviews before hand, know you are unmanned at night and try and sneek 10 friends in.
 
thank you beach house!
my fiancee and i are in the early stages of trying to get into the B&B business. i work in a factory and she works in banking. we both hate the industries in which we work because our talents are wasted in these jobs and we dont enjoy the rat race lifestyle. our personalities are not meant to live and work in the corporate world. we are looking to eventually open up a b&B in the lower peninsula of michigan where we can live as our own bosses and run our own company. in no way do we think running a b &B will be easy but we know that we hate working in fast paced factory and banking. we are looking to live comfortably and understand that we will in no way become rich doing this. we just want out of corporate america as much as we can be. we were wondering about the living quarters since we have pets that i highly doubt guests will love as much as we do, so we want to keep them away from the actual b&B. living offsite would not be ideal but we were wondering if it was even an option..
lots of people on here have pets and I am sure they will chime in. We have house rabbits which rarely interact with guests but the ones that do meet them love them. (they will do anything for food)
 
We have two cats who are not allowed in the inn section of the house. Most guests love them.
 
thank you beach house!
my fiancee and i are in the early stages of trying to get into the B&B business. i work in a factory and she works in banking. we both hate the industries in which we work because our talents are wasted in these jobs and we dont enjoy the rat race lifestyle. our personalities are not meant to live and work in the corporate world. we are looking to eventually open up a b&B in the lower peninsula of michigan where we can live as our own bosses and run our own company. in no way do we think running a b &B will be easy but we know that we hate working in fast paced factory and banking. we are looking to live comfortably and understand that we will in no way become rich doing this. we just want out of corporate america as much as we can be. we were wondering about the living quarters since we have pets that i highly doubt guests will love as much as we do, so we want to keep them away from the actual b&B. living offsite would not be ideal but we were wondering if it was even an option..
This reminds me one time of a minister who told another interested in the trade, "do everything you can to avoid becoming a minister. If it still is the thing to do, then consider it." I think the point was, there are a lot of things the minister does besides just giving the sermon and shaking hands. From handling deaths to broken marriages and a ton of unexpected hours...
I do not think hating your jobs is a good reason to open a B&B. From being on this forum, you cannot imagine the myriad of things that owners deal with. And you may find yourself making a lot less money.
I owned a small construction company for a few years. Frankly, workers often make more money, more reliably than the owner. Fulltime workers usually do their 50-60 hours a week. Business owners often do 80-100 hours a week. And they get to pay self-employment tax to boot. And most businesses fail.
For most people, I would say a reasonably paying job beats starting a business 6 ways to Sunday. If not, watch some episodes of "Tabitha takes over" (salons), "Restaurant Impossible", "Hotel Impossible" or other shows where someone comes in trying to fix a near failed business. The depth of emotions, financial problems and many other things is what you may find yourself in.
In other words, you have a good chance to go from the frying pan into the fire.
 
Hi Mich, and welcome to the forum! You'll find that there are many different living arrangements for all of us. We're fortunate enough that our Owners Quarters is a separate small house on the property, but very close to the main house.
Most insurance carriers and indeed, some states mandate that you must live onsite. A very important issue for innkeepers is being able to have privacy and to separate themselves from the guests. This is a very important issue when you're looking for a b&b. If you're living in the main structure, try to be sure that you have your own separate entrance and are able to block off your area (including the kitchen) from the guests. You should also be able to separate your pets from the guests and hopefully, but not always possible have a small outdoor area for a dog where guest interaction is minimized.
Again, welcome to the forum and hang around for some good advice!
 
thank you beach house!
my fiancee and i are in the early stages of trying to get into the B&B business. i work in a factory and she works in banking. we both hate the industries in which we work because our talents are wasted in these jobs and we dont enjoy the rat race lifestyle. our personalities are not meant to live and work in the corporate world. we are looking to eventually open up a b&B in the lower peninsula of michigan where we can live as our own bosses and run our own company. in no way do we think running a b &B will be easy but we know that we hate working in fast paced factory and banking. we are looking to live comfortably and understand that we will in no way become rich doing this. we just want out of corporate america as much as we can be. we were wondering about the living quarters since we have pets that i highly doubt guests will love as much as we do, so we want to keep them away from the actual b&B. living offsite would not be ideal but we were wondering if it was even an option..
This reminds me one time of a minister who told another interested in the trade, "do everything you can to avoid becoming a minister. If it still is the thing to do, then consider it." I think the point was, there are a lot of things the minister does besides just giving the sermon and shaking hands. From handling deaths to broken marriages and a ton of unexpected hours...
I do not think hating your jobs is a good reason to open a B&B. From being on this forum, you cannot imagine the myriad of things that owners deal with. And you may find yourself making a lot less money.
I owned a small construction company for a few years. Frankly, workers often make more money, more reliably than the owner. Fulltime workers usually do their 50-60 hours a week. Business owners often do 80-100 hours a week. And they get to pay self-employment tax to boot. And most businesses fail.
For most people, I would say a reasonably paying job beats starting a business 6 ways to Sunday. If not, watch some episodes of "Tabitha takes over" (salons), "Restaurant Impossible", "Hotel Impossible" or other shows where someone comes in trying to fix a near failed business. The depth of emotions, financial problems and many other things is what you may find yourself in.
In other words, you have a good chance to go from the frying pan into the fire.
.
undersea said:
This reminds me one time of a minister who told another interested in the trade, "do everything you can to avoid becoming a minister. If it still is the thing to do, then consider it." I think the point was, there are a lot of things the minister does besides just giving the sermon and shaking hands. From handling deaths to broken marriages and a ton of unexpected hours...
I do not think hating your jobs is a good reason to open a B&B. From being on this forum, you cannot imagine the myriad of things that owners deal with. And you may find yourself making a lot less money.
I owned a small construction company for a few years. Frankly, workers often make more money, more reliably than the owner. Fulltime workers usually do their 50-60 hours a week. Business owners often do 80-100 hours a week. And they get to pay self-employment tax to boot. And most businesses fail.
For most people, I would say a reasonably paying job beats starting a business 6 ways to Sunday. If not, watch some episodes of "Tabitha takes over" (salons), "Restaurant Impossible", "Hotel Impossible" or other shows where someone comes in trying to fix a near failed business. The depth of emotions, financial problems and many other things is what you may find yourself in.
In other words, you have a good chance to go from the frying pan into the fire.
PLEASE Undersea, when you respond to an aspiring or new forum member, indicate in your post that you yourself are an aspiring innkeeper. It's very important they know you are answering from the position of an aspiring.
 
You have to check your own state and local regulations. No one here can give you that answer. It all depends on your location.
 
thank you beach house!
my fiancee and i are in the early stages of trying to get into the B&B business. i work in a factory and she works in banking. we both hate the industries in which we work because our talents are wasted in these jobs and we dont enjoy the rat race lifestyle. our personalities are not meant to live and work in the corporate world. we are looking to eventually open up a b&B in the lower peninsula of michigan where we can live as our own bosses and run our own company. in no way do we think running a b &B will be easy but we know that we hate working in fast paced factory and banking. we are looking to live comfortably and understand that we will in no way become rich doing this. we just want out of corporate america as much as we can be. we were wondering about the living quarters since we have pets that i highly doubt guests will love as much as we do, so we want to keep them away from the actual b&B. living offsite would not be ideal but we were wondering if it was even an option..
Thanks for the added infor. It really helps to know how to share.
I am sure you will be hearing the standard reply directing to look into this locally since every location is different. It does depend on zoning, commercial use, and all those things that are often controlled by a county, region, or state.
I do think there has been some discussion about on site off site, but more in line with how to.
Congratulations on knowing your one of the chosen few. We began our dream in 1999 and we are now in our 10th year of innkeeping. I can't imagine going back to working for someone else. I wasn't a great employee to start with and now I would be the worst.
 
We have the 2 rooms, bathroom, and what was supposed to be a sun room on one side of the first floor. Our area is private - to date, in 19 years only one guest has barged in to our side and he was following at the heels of Himself instead of waiting for him to return with whatever he was fetching. We do not have pets - we are too old to take care of them.
 
thank you beach house!
my fiancee and i are in the early stages of trying to get into the B&B business. i work in a factory and she works in banking. we both hate the industries in which we work because our talents are wasted in these jobs and we dont enjoy the rat race lifestyle. our personalities are not meant to live and work in the corporate world. we are looking to eventually open up a b&B in the lower peninsula of michigan where we can live as our own bosses and run our own company. in no way do we think running a b &B will be easy but we know that we hate working in fast paced factory and banking. we are looking to live comfortably and understand that we will in no way become rich doing this. we just want out of corporate america as much as we can be. we were wondering about the living quarters since we have pets that i highly doubt guests will love as much as we do, so we want to keep them away from the actual b&B. living offsite would not be ideal but we were wondering if it was even an option..
This reminds me one time of a minister who told another interested in the trade, "do everything you can to avoid becoming a minister. If it still is the thing to do, then consider it." I think the point was, there are a lot of things the minister does besides just giving the sermon and shaking hands. From handling deaths to broken marriages and a ton of unexpected hours...
I do not think hating your jobs is a good reason to open a B&B. From being on this forum, you cannot imagine the myriad of things that owners deal with. And you may find yourself making a lot less money.
I owned a small construction company for a few years. Frankly, workers often make more money, more reliably than the owner. Fulltime workers usually do their 50-60 hours a week. Business owners often do 80-100 hours a week. And they get to pay self-employment tax to boot. And most businesses fail.
For most people, I would say a reasonably paying job beats starting a business 6 ways to Sunday. If not, watch some episodes of "Tabitha takes over" (salons), "Restaurant Impossible", "Hotel Impossible" or other shows where someone comes in trying to fix a near failed business. The depth of emotions, financial problems and many other things is what you may find yourself in.
In other words, you have a good chance to go from the frying pan into the fire.
.
UNDERSEA...why did you comment like this? You did not answer the question...but started on a rant...that most do not want to hear.
 
Around here, you MUST live on premises by law. We used to live in one of the rooms within the guest area, we disguised it simply by putting a room name on it. Now, we have our own quarters in the basement.
 
thank you beach house!
my fiancee and i are in the early stages of trying to get into the B&B business. i work in a factory and she works in banking. we both hate the industries in which we work because our talents are wasted in these jobs and we dont enjoy the rat race lifestyle. our personalities are not meant to live and work in the corporate world. we are looking to eventually open up a b&B in the lower peninsula of michigan where we can live as our own bosses and run our own company. in no way do we think running a b &B will be easy but we know that we hate working in fast paced factory and banking. we are looking to live comfortably and understand that we will in no way become rich doing this. we just want out of corporate america as much as we can be. we were wondering about the living quarters since we have pets that i highly doubt guests will love as much as we do, so we want to keep them away from the actual b&B. living offsite would not be ideal but we were wondering if it was even an option..
MichDream2017 said:
my fiancee and i are in the early stages of trying to get into the B&B business. i work in a factory and she works in banking. we both hate the industries in which we work because our talents are wasted in these jobs and we dont enjoy the rat race lifestyle. our personalities are not meant to live and work in the corporate world. we are looking to eventually open up a b&B in the lower peninsula of michigan where we can live as our own bosses and run our own company. in no way do we think running a b &B will be easy but we know that we hate working in fast paced factory and banking. we are looking to live comfortably and understand that we will in no way become rich doing this. we just want out of corporate america as much as we can be. we were wondering about the living quarters since we have pets that i highly doubt guests will love as much as we do, so we want to keep them away from the actual b&B. living offsite would not be ideal but we were wondering if it was even an option.
We were in the corporate, factory rat race, too. This is a helluva lot better.
Check the state & town ordinances in the area you are looking at for details on whether or not you have to live on premises. Then check with the insurance companies that cover B&B's to get their take. Then understand it might all change.
FWIW - we looked at a gorgeous property in western NY that had a separate house for the owners. In theory it's a great idea - you get your privacy and your own space. In practice, I'd be running out the door at 2 AM in my jammies in -30 degrees if a guest needed help in January. Think about that. My commute is entirely indoors and takes 8 seconds. No matter what the weather, I'm dry, cool, warm, whatever.
I will say you absolutely want your own kitchen whatever you decide. Think about a great steak dinner luring your guests to inn kitchen and you'll see why. (Or, a fish fry that lingers into breakfast!)
You'll be doing this job 24x7x365 and you both need your space to escape the guests and each other. Seriously. Sometimes you need your own time out corner. Having a single room in the middle of the inn does not cut it. You want to love this job, not hate it.
 
Welcome!
we have two four-legged munchkins and even though they are not allowed in the guest area( they are separated by a gate), you'd be surprised how many guests insist on meeting my felines. We are joined by the kitchen but have separate living quarters on the far side of the B&B. We 'aspire' to renovate a building just 30 feet away which will give us a better view than our guests!
We make it clear on our site that we have guests but that the aren't allowed in the public areas and so far, anyone who has told us that they're allergic has been fine. I go as far as keeping separate clothing do that I don't transfer black cat hair to my white bedding or anything else that the guests come in contact with. You'll be fine.
 
I have a nice set up. Four guests rooms and living room/breakfast area for guests. The kitchen has a door with a lock that I am able to close off from the rest of the house and through the kitchen is my personal living room, then bedroom, bathroom, laundry and storage…it also has a door the exits out the back of the house in the private back yard where I am able to have my dog. The dog can come inside and go outside as he pleases. I also have a cat who enjoys sleeping on the porch all day greeting guests. You would be surprised how many people love the cat and enjoy petting him. They love it if they get a rare glimpse of the dog too. I even have guests writing about how wonderful the cat is in the guest books in the rooms. I never thought they would love him as much as they do. He is strictly an outdoor cat too!
 
thank you beach house!
my fiancee and i are in the early stages of trying to get into the B&B business. i work in a factory and she works in banking. we both hate the industries in which we work because our talents are wasted in these jobs and we dont enjoy the rat race lifestyle. our personalities are not meant to live and work in the corporate world. we are looking to eventually open up a b&B in the lower peninsula of michigan where we can live as our own bosses and run our own company. in no way do we think running a b &B will be easy but we know that we hate working in fast paced factory and banking. we are looking to live comfortably and understand that we will in no way become rich doing this. we just want out of corporate america as much as we can be. we were wondering about the living quarters since we have pets that i highly doubt guests will love as much as we do, so we want to keep them away from the actual b&B. living offsite would not be ideal but we were wondering if it was even an option..
MichDream2017 said:
we were wondering about the living quarters since we have pets that i highly doubt guests will love as much as we do, so we want to keep them away from the actual b&B. living offsite would not be ideal but we were wondering if it was even an option.
Missed the pet part before - we had a dog. The guests miss her as much as we do and keep asking when we're getting another one. Don't underestimate the allure of a dog or cat! We didn't limit the dog's range in the inn, she followed us everywhere except at breakfast. But never on her own. Always with us.
Except the day she got outside alone and then came in with the guests.
 
It can vary by state and your insurance company so you'd have to check with them. In our state, we can live onsite or off. We have lived in the B&B for 10 years and I have so missed having my own home after having worked very hard my whole life to get into the position where I owned two prior to the B&B. We have now broken ground on a new home that sits on our property just about 100' from the existing B&B. Our bedroom is becoming another guest room. I would highly recommend if you are able to live in your own space attached to the B&B or just next to it in your own private home to make it happen. Good luck if you move forward.
 
thank you beach house!
my fiancee and i are in the early stages of trying to get into the B&B business. i work in a factory and she works in banking. we both hate the industries in which we work because our talents are wasted in these jobs and we dont enjoy the rat race lifestyle. our personalities are not meant to live and work in the corporate world. we are looking to eventually open up a b&B in the lower peninsula of michigan where we can live as our own bosses and run our own company. in no way do we think running a b &B will be easy but we know that we hate working in fast paced factory and banking. we are looking to live comfortably and understand that we will in no way become rich doing this. we just want out of corporate america as much as we can be. we were wondering about the living quarters since we have pets that i highly doubt guests will love as much as we do, so we want to keep them away from the actual b&B. living offsite would not be ideal but we were wondering if it was even an option..
This reminds me one time of a minister who told another interested in the trade, "do everything you can to avoid becoming a minister. If it still is the thing to do, then consider it." I think the point was, there are a lot of things the minister does besides just giving the sermon and shaking hands. From handling deaths to broken marriages and a ton of unexpected hours...
I do not think hating your jobs is a good reason to open a B&B. From being on this forum, you cannot imagine the myriad of things that owners deal with. And you may find yourself making a lot less money.
I owned a small construction company for a few years. Frankly, workers often make more money, more reliably than the owner. Fulltime workers usually do their 50-60 hours a week. Business owners often do 80-100 hours a week. And they get to pay self-employment tax to boot. And most businesses fail.
For most people, I would say a reasonably paying job beats starting a business 6 ways to Sunday. If not, watch some episodes of "Tabitha takes over" (salons), "Restaurant Impossible", "Hotel Impossible" or other shows where someone comes in trying to fix a near failed business. The depth of emotions, financial problems and many other things is what you may find yourself in.
In other words, you have a good chance to go from the frying pan into the fire.
.
UNDERSEA...why did you comment like this? You did not answer the question...but started on a rant...that most do not want to hear.
.
Because it is true, albeit not popular
 
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