Setting up a bed and breakfast business during the Olympics

This is to help you identify and control food safety, health and safety, consumer rights, trading standards, fire safety, and general housekeeping issues related to renting out rooms for financial gain.

Bed and breakfast do's and don'ts

Although a lot of the things mentioned are relevant for setting up a fully fledged bed and breakfast business, there will be other things you need to consider if you are looking to do this. 

These include planning permissions for change of use, training for food handlers, and full and proper implementation of food safety, health and safety, trading standards or fire safety law. 

The information here is limited to the parts of law that might apply if you let out one or two rooms for the short 2012 Olympic period and provide only breakfasts for guests i.e. cereals and bacon and eggs purchased from local supermarkets or shops.  Irrespective of how long you trade for, if you intend to supply any alcohol, you will need a licence.

If you are thinking of providing evening meals and lunches (or letting rooms for longer than just the 2012 Olympic period), you may need planning permission and you also will need to register as a food business with the local authority.  Similarly, as a business you will need to comply with all food safety, trading standards and health and safety law as well as fire safety laws. 

We want you to make a success of your bed and breakfast during the 2012 Olympics, and want you to be safe and protect both you and your visitors, so we hope that you will find the Blueprints of use.  Do not hesitate to contact your local environmental health department if you have any questions about the information contained in the Blueprints, or how to use them.

Things to consider:

• How are you going to advertise your rooms - Are you thinking of national or international guests or both, do you need to think about language barriers?
• Animals - are you going to allow people to bring pets and how are you going to manage this? What about your own pets? 
• Children - are you going to allow guests with children, if so is your home child-safe? 
• Safety - are there any hazards in your home that might injure other people, for example: machinery you use for work or gardening.  What about that step you have been meaning to fix for ages? 
• Smoking - is your home smoke free? Are you going to allow guests to smoke in bedrooms?  
• House rules - do you have any special house rules you want people to abide by in your home, like no alcohol or be back before midnight? 
• Crime - have you thought about theft or vandalism? How are you going to protect your own valuables? 
• Insurance - do you need to tell your house insurers that you have given out keys and you are operating a B&B?
• Tax - do you need to declare your extra income to the tax office? 
• Squatters - what if people won't leave, what are your rights? 
• Pest problems - people travelling from other areas might introduce pests like bed bugs and fleas. How are you going to manage this?
• Food Safety - are you going to prepare breakfast for guests or send them down the road to the local café?  You can't advertise bed and breakfast without breakfast
  

Self assessments

Download self assessments of the basics you will need to consider to cover issues relating to food safety, food labelling, smoke free, health and safety, consumer rights and general hygiene and house keeping. 

More information

These self-assessments are not intended to be a comprehensive guide to the law and if you need further advice on any element of the Blueprints phone Environmental Services.

Email: esd@wandsworth.gov.uk
Telephone: 020 8871 6127

Fire safety

There is no blue print for fire safety. You should contact the London Fire Brigade for further advice. For instance, a disabled occupant on the first floor could be at risk if there was a fire so it will be necessary to establish who will be visiting and assess the risk for each person taking into account their abilities, or plan for the least ambulant person to be in your premises.