Should I start a B & B or not - Part II?
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Today I shall look at the standard of accommodation and start up fees. To get a feel for what others have to offer is always a good idea and going to sites like http://www.babs.com.au/ allows you to see accommodation at B & B’s across Australia, usually with internal shots of the rooms so that you can see the standard of accommodation on offer for the tariff. Other good sources of information, although this time in print, are the ‘Beautiful Accommodation’ publications by Simon St. John which now cover Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and New South Wales in three coffee table books:
Beautiful B & B’s and Small Hotels; Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania
Beautiful Accommodation in New South Wales
Beautiful Accommodation in Queensland, Australia
You can also log onto http://www.beautifulaccommodation.com/ and join their free club.
The standard of accommodation.
When considering your own property or one which you intend to buy, make a realistic assessment of the following:
Are you luxury with a resident chef and private art gallery, located on the waterfront with a boat to take guests fishing or economy with a basic room and the wildlife mainly for company?
Are your rooms spacious enough with some able to take a family of 4, offering a self-contained bathroom or ensuite?
Is there space to put ensuites into your rooms?
Do you have the natural ambience of an old Queenslander?
Do you have a beach shack which could provide a more bohemian style of accommodation and of course fishing? For a superb example see Coco Loco Beach Shacks and The Doctor’s House overlooking Bingil Bay in the Mission Beach area http://www.cocolocomissionbeach.com/
Is there an area for a guest lounge which is separate from your living quarters to allow a break for both of you?
Is guest accommodation in a separate building, such as my own business, which gives privacy to guests and family alike?
The start up fees
Start up fees should not be prohibitive but need to be budgeted for and tend to cover the following categories. I have put in an estimate based on my own experience with the Logan City Council, Queensland, and all amounts are shown in Australian Dollars:
Application for material change of use taking your property from purely residential status to official recognition as a legitimate B & B business in the area (allow $3000);
Hygiene qualification in order to operate a business involving food preparation. Courses can be through a self-paced workbook or face to face, offered by your local TAFE college or Council Health Department ($300-$400);
Professional presentation of the public notice of application for the material change of use sign which appears outside your property. Council often has a list of those sign writers who they recommend as they comply with size of lettering etc. ($200 -$300);
Advertisement in the local paper informing the community of what you intend to do ($150);
Any modifications to the kitchen to comply with hygiene regulations. Can be expensive if Council insists on 2 sinks, new dishwasher to comply with a higher temperature than is usual for domestic dishwashing and a grease trap because you find yourself having to comply with Council restaurant regulations when offering a cooked breakfast;
Safety inspections to make sure that guests can access fire exits easily ($200).
The above are ballpark figures that I experienced when opening my property in Springwood, Queensland. But I want to point out that I did find ways around some of them through negotiation with Council e.g. I discovered from my manufacturer’s instruction book that I could make a simple adjustment to make the dishwasher work at a higher temperature and hence be compliant, saving approximately $1000, and I suggested that my breakfast menu would comprise fruits, muesli, yoghurt, toast, tea and coffee not bacon and eggs, which was acceptable and saved a substantial amount through not having to modify the kitchen.
I hope that the above pointers are helpful because I am here to encourage you not to put you off. Do your homework but do not let anyone including me steal your dreams.