Guinea Pig Boarding...

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Charlotte01

Charlotte01

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I know this isn't exactly the right place for this but the boarding forum is no longer available so I need to ask on here. I would really like to open a guinea pig and rabbit boarding 'hotel'. I have a 12ft by 8ft shed which has my piggies living in a large run with access to the aviary but I have so much spare space and so many people locally have been getting small animals that I think it would work well. I researched it and know you don't need a license but I was wondering about insurance? I have had guinea pigs or rabbits all my life and the same for my parents so we have agreed it would be a good idea. My dad agreed to build several 4ft hutches (rspca recommendations) with some with 2 tiers for rabbits or large guinea pig herds but i don't want to go ahead with it until I know everything there is to know.Also, there are many villages around where I live and there is only 1 boarding place which is also a rescue so it is often full and I think people struggle to find a suitable place. Please could you answer these questions?

1) Do you need insurance?
2) Do you have to be a certain age to run it?
3)How much should I charge?
4)would you use this service?

Thanks :)
 
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Wendle said:
Hello, I run a small animal boarding business. Yes, you do need insurance. It's not too expensive though.

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Ok, Is the insurance legally required or just highly recommended? I would be more than happy to pay it because I want to run a responsible trustworthy business but I would like to know out of curiosity and do you have any insurance company's to recommend with this type of insurance!? :)
 
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I'm not sure if it is a legal requirement but you should definitely have insurance, you never know what might go wrong and any property needs to be insured. Also you will need to declare yourself to HMRC for tax purposes.

I use pet plan for insurance
 
I don't think insurance is a legal requirement unless members of the public are coming onto your land in which case you would need public liability insurance. However, think about what would happen if an animal died in your care and the owner sued you... how would you afford legal representation etc? That is why insurance would always be recommended.

Again I am not sure on an age limit but I would say not unless you are over 18. You have to think about your clientèle and, although its completely wrong, anyone under 18 may be judged as not responsible enough to run such a service. Also you will be entering into a contract with members of the public and at present minors (under 18's) cannot enter into legally binding contracts so this may be something else to consider.

As for charges it depends what is on offer and how much services are in your local area. I would call a few boarding places within a certain distance to get a feel for what they offer and what they charge and decide based on that.

You also need to spend some time thinking what will form part of your contract such as if an animal needs vet care, an exclusion clause so you cannot be held liable for illnesses/deaths unless it comes from negligence or mistreatment at the boarding, what will happen if a client doesn't pay i.e. will you be charging upfront before boarding is provided, will you issue reminder letters if not, will you be charging interest if payment is over 28 days late? How will you be willing to accept payments - people need to know in advance if they are required to pay cash up front.
 
BTW I don't know your age but if you are under 25 you should be able to get a lot of information and assistance in looking to set up a business from places like The Prince's Trust or local colleges. This might then include declaring yourself as self employed and what you are legally allowed to deduct from your tax bill etc.
 
Lady Kelly said:
I don't think insurance is a legal requirement unless members of the public are coming onto your land in which case you would need public liability insurance. However, think about what would happen if an animal died in your care and the owner sued you... how would you afford legal representation etc? That is why insurance would always be recommended.

Again I am not sure on an age limit but I would say not unless you are over 18. You have to think about your clientèle and, although its completely wrong, anyone under 18 may be judged as not responsible enough to run such a service. Also you will be entering into a contract with members of the public and at present minors (under 18's) cannot enter into legally binding contracts so this may be something else to consider.

As for charges it depends what is on offer and how much services are in your local area. I would call a few boarding places within a certain distance to get a feel for what they offer and what they charge and decide based on that.

You also need to spend some time thinking what will form part of your contract such as if an animal needs vet care, an exclusion clause so you cannot be held liable for illnesses/deaths unless it comes from negligence or mistreatment at the boarding, what will happen if a client doesn't pay i.e. will you be charging upfront before boarding is provided, will you issue reminder letters if not, will you be charging interest if payment is over 28 days late? How will you be willing to accept payments - people need to know in advance if they are required to pay cash up front.
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Thankyou, this is really useful. I have written a formal terms and conditions stating important information concerning illness/deaths; vetinary care; payment etc which needs to be signed when the pet is dropped off. I have owned rabbits or guinea pigs all my life and my mum grew up showing guinea pigs and rabbits so we have a lot of experience in the family. Thankyou, your comment really helped :)
 
Charlotte01 said:
Thankyou, this is really useful. I have written a formal terms and conditions stating important information concerning illness/deaths; vetinary care; payment etc which needs to be signed when the pet is dropped off. I have owned rabbits or guinea pigs all my life and my mum grew up showing guinea pigs and rabbits so we have a lot of experience in the family. Thankyou, your comment really helped :)
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In that case I think it would need to be your parents business, I'm not sure whether you would be able to register as self employed etc at that age but I don't know as I don't know the law around it
 
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