Need to rent work-space for electronics soldering

[ebastler]

Also, the workspace owners want "Full name and email address of someone to witness the licence."
...my friends dont want to offer their names and emails, in case something goes wrong and they become liable......is there any way round this? (not having a "witness")?

Not being a native speaker, I am probably not the best person to comment -- but here goes:

It seems to me that what your friends are concerned about is that they do not want be be a guarantor for your lease. (And rightfully so, in my opinion -- that's not something one should ask friends to do, if one values their friendship, because that could result in potentially serious financial obligations.)

As a witness, the only thing they could be asked to do at some point is to confirm that this contract was indeed signed by you. (And not someone else impersonating you, or by the landlord himself making up an imaginary tenant.) The only way I can see that putting a strain on your friendship would be if you try to weasel out of the contract in a few months, claiming that you never signed it -- which, I trust, is not on the horizon.

[mariush]

You could probably also try to rent a garage, it may be cheaper.
Some have electricity. If not see below...

I also read a post from some time ago where you said you were concerned about causing shorts and causing fuse popping and all that, not wanting to use electricity

Sounds to me like this could be resolved by using an UPS or a big power bank with AC inverter built in... top up the ups/power bank, disconnect from mains and you can solder without worry you'd trip something.
Or you could just get a fold-able desk and go outside the city somewhere and work outside with power from battery bank.

Maybe find someone in your neighborhood that bough a garage but crashed / totaled their car or maybe they no longer have car and rent the garage from them.

Do some thinking about places without electricity you could use (in case buying a power bank or something would be an option)

[mikeselectricstuff]

Basically, there's no way of knowing if the council thinks its got a "rateable value" of >£12000 or not.......i mean i can write to them (i have done already)....but the answer may take time.

You can look up rateable values here https://www.gov.uk/find-business-rates

Also, the workspace owners want "Full name and email address of someone to witness the licence."

Ask them what they mean - what "licence" exactly ?
Could just be a statement that you aren't a business

[Faringdon]

Hi,
The Studio (workspace) is 24.252m^2 (2.214m by 9.091m), but the government website doesnt allow you to calculate the rates from this.

Do you reckon we're talking £10,000/yr,   £30000/yr , £50000/yr or £100000/yr?

The only way I can see that putting a strain on your friendship would be if you try to weasel out of the contract in a few months, claiming that you never signed it -- which, I trust, is not on the horizon.

Thanks, this place is just 4weeks notice to leave......so i can leave any time, as long as i give 4 weeks notice.

[jpanhalt]

So what's the problem?  Just pay an additional 4 weeks advance in addition to the 1-month advance that is probably required (i.e., you pay at or before the month for the next month.

If you have agreed on the lease price, then rent the damn place.  Why not?  Surely, you can calculate the rent per m^2 from that.

[mikeselectricstuff]

Hi,
The Studio (workspace) is 24.252m^2 (2.214m by 9.091m), but the government website doesnt allow you to calculate the rates from this.

Do you reckon we're talking £10,000/yr,   £30000/yr , £50000/yr or £100000/yr?

Look up the building, or one of comparable size in the same area. Google Maps is your friend.
My guess would be way below 10K.

[Faringdon]

So what's the problem?

Thanks, Business rates in London (NW10) have been known to be >£1ook per year. (>8k per month)
Theres no way of knowing what the rates are till after i move in.

As MikesElectricStuff  kindly says, you can try and look up similar places, but i  cant find any that list their rates.

[jpanhalt]

Damn, I just lost everything I wrote.  Please get EEVBlog up to the 21st century.

Theres no way of knowing what the rates are till after i move in.

That is no way to do business.  Not even Elon Musk would sign a lease without knowing what it would cost.  If that is London today, it's sad.
1) Sign the lease with the landlord.
2) In all probability, you will get the exemption and be in clover.
3) If not, just don't pay the addition tax.  What's the worse that will happen?  You lose the space sounds reasonable.  Nothing gained, nothing lost.   Perhaps you go to prison.  Debtors' prison may still be in vogue in London.  How about daily floggings?
4) Worse case, that could be the longest time you have held any job/position.

Going back to my post #25, it seems you're looking for an excuse not to deliver on a product you promised.  Assuming that's the case, just move to a new life where we don't have debtors' prisons or floggings.   Garrettsville, OH is a nice place, and it's close to a small college where you might find a job teaching (Hiram College). 

[mikeselectricstuff]

So what's the problem?

Thanks, Business rates in London (NW10) have been known to be >£1ook per year. (>8k per month)
Theres no way of knowing what the rates are till after i move in.

I find that very hard to believe.
Note that rateable value is not the amount of business rates payable. Rateable value is the open market annual rental value assessed in April 2015. The rates payable are approximately half this.

If you look at the rateable values for a property on the .gov website, you can drill down to how it's calculated - it's broken down by storage, office, retail areas etc. with their own rates per square metre.
 Office space in a random industrial area of NW10 seems to be around £100/m^2  So your 25m^2 space would have a rateable value around 2500, so well below the 12K limit for 100% business rate relief, but would  cost about £1250 per year in rates if you did have to pay.

[Faringdon]

Thanks, yes , heres the gen  on business rates from the local London council

You would be liable to pay business rates on any commercial space you rent, however, you may be entitled to claim 100% small business rate relief.
If this is the only unit you rent in England, then you would be entitled to claim 100% relief.