Hermit Rents Your Home as Office Space While You're at Work Would you want a group of strangers working in your home?
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This story originally appeared on PCMag
Even though remote working is on the increase, it's still fairly typical for a home to be left empty during the day while kids are at school and parents are at work. But where most people see an empty home, others see a business opportunity, and that's where Hermit Offices comes in. They want to rent out your home during the day to act as an office.
Having a group of complete strangers in your home unsupervised may sound like your worst nightmare, but it's exactly what Hermit Offices is offering to do. In return, you'll earn an extra income from a space that's otherwise unused. The company takes care of everything related to renting, including insurance, security and property management. All home owners need to provide is a single room for the business, fast broadband, lighting and access to amenities.
According to Tech City News, for small businesses, the draw will be cost savings. Hermit claims rent can be as much as half that of commercial office space, and because it's a home there's guaranteed to be access to working facilities including a kitchen and bathroom. Access to a home office is typically between 8:30 a.m. and 6 p.m., although that will vary depending on who lives in each property.
Hermit is already up and running offering a range of home office rental opportunities in London for up to 10 people. If it proves successful it's sure to expand to other major cities where rent is always high.
Whether this seems appealing or not depends on how comfortable you are having a group of strangers not only in your home, but using your facilities. That involves a lot of trust even if Hermit is offering insurance and security checks. With that in mind, it seems more likely this will appeal to people who own unoccupied property and want to make some cash while they try and fully rent or sell it.