I currently rent and it is against my lease to run any business out of my place. My business will be a hybrid of e commerce and local markets and festivals.

I need a place to create, package, ship, and store my supplies. This is my second business that I am starting and I have very little money to rent a space, and very limited knowledge on that.

My main questions are: Are there any ways to get around violating my lease without renting a new space?

If I do end up having to rent a space, what should I keep in mind?

Can I use a P.o. box or something similar as my business address? It’s e commerce so would that technically be running a business inside the property?

Any help is welcome

  • PP_I@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    As another poster said, it’s highly at the discretion of the apartment complex. I run a single-member LLC service-based business and all of my supplies/tools fit at my desk or in my car - you wouldn’t even know I ran a business here unless I told you. But I still had to get a special letter from the leasing office in order to get my occupational tax certificate from the city. Be honest with your leasing office, because if you try to sneak around them they can terminate your lease if they find out.

    I might be off on this but I would think that the apartment complex is most worried about increased traffic into the community from people who don’t live there. They might also care about logistics - receiving large quantities of packages. But idk.

    For my occupational tax certificate, my city wouldn’t allow a PO box as a business address. Might vary in your jurisdiction, but I think most don’t allow that.

    If all goes well and you get approved through your apartment, does your complex have garages? Most in my area have single-car garages for rent at like $100/month or something. Not a ton of room but probably enough to at least get you started.