Rabbits sitter, need advice

Anyone here is rabbits sitter?

I'm thinking about being a rabbits sitter. I'm the owner of 2 rabbits, have 3 years experience on looking after rabbits (female and male). I'm thinking of looking after maximum of two rabbits at a time, indoor only

The main purpose is because:-
* I really love to look after rabbits
* I want to earn some pity cash
* I want to use part of the earned money to donate to a family run rabbits rescue. (I've been helping this rescue since I adopted my rabbit from them, I really want to help them more as they're always tight on money)

Need some advice on being a rabbits sitter
* Do I need any qualification to become rabbits sitter?
* Do I need to let the local council know about it?
* Do I need to pay tax on earning this small amount of money?
* How should I start?

Any advice would be great!

Hiya, I'm no use for this sort of advice but I would imagine if you were 'officially' setting up a business you would need to show that you had some sort of experience and references.. any more than that, sorry.. I hope someone on here can give you helpful info.
Good luck!!!

Nicole Mok said:

Need some advice on being a rabbits sitter
* Do I need any qualification to become rabbits sitter?
* Do I need to let the local council know about it?
* Do I need to pay tax on earning this small amount of money?
* How should I start?

Click to expand...

* no qualifications needed, though any that you have should be mentioned as it will show people you have animal knowledge, if you don't have qualifications but you do have experience (eg have you helped at the rescue you mentioned?) then mention that instead
* this will depend on planning rules in your area and may depend on whether you are having the rabbits inside or outside, I think you'll be fine with them indoors but you might as well contact them to find out (one possibility is that your council tax amount may change if you're using your home for business) - if you rent you should also check that you're allowed to conduct business from your home as a lot of rental contracts do not allow this (even if you're not thinking of it as a business it is legally as soon as you are being paid for it)
* you won't need to pay tax until you're earning over a certain amount (I forget exactly how much it is these days), but you do need to register as self employed and complete a tax return (note if you have another job you may already be over the threshold and may well be taxed, but the software works that out for you after you complete the tax return)
* you don't ask about insurance but I wanted to mention it as you will need it, if you're in the UK I recommend Westminster Indemnity as they are cheaper than some of the animal specific packages - make sure you get one that covers key loss/damage and remember that you will need to change your car insurance to cover business use if you are picking up or dropping off rabbits for people
* you don't mention DBS checks either but people will probably ask you if you have one - I looked into it and did not get one as a) the new check does not run out so there is nothing to stop someone with a historical check certificate using that regardless of any subsequent convictions (I don't see the point of this), b) you need to send your documents to a third party company which I was not prepared to do and c) references and word of mouth from people who trust you is far more reassuring imo
* to start I would find out what pet related events are going on in your area and pop along with a stall and some leaflets (this is often free), and put up a page on facebook (this is super easy to do and you can ask all your friends to share it)

Thank you all! Seems like a lot to consider than I expected and thank you so much for the additional information on the insurance and the DBS.

I've got my own house, so not renting, this should make it easier.
I've actually got a full time temporary job for now, but the contract will be ended in 2 months, hence I'm thinking about this business which I hope that I can do something I'm interested in as well as helping others and the rescue.

At first, I didn't think that there will be a lot of businesses, as my principle is to look after max 2 rabbits (indoor only) and I will never think about adding cages outside at my garden as I'm personally scared of taking the responsibility on the risk of the rabbits getting hurt by cats or foxes even though using outdoor pen.. So my business is going to be very very small... That's also the reason that I didn't think in details about insurance / DBS..