Hosting

Before you list your gym

Opening your gym to other people is a great way to make it pay for itself. It's also a real responsibility. Here's what to check first. It takes an afternoon, and it protects you.

A. Check your insurance

• Call your agent before your first booking. Ask plainly: “If I let paying guests use my home gym, am I covered if someone gets hurt or something gets damaged?”
• Homeowners and renters policies may not cover it. Many standard policies limit or exclude coverage when you rent part of your home to others or run a business from it. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) recommends checking with your insurer before renting out any part of your home.
• Ask about options, such as a home-business endorsement or rider, a home-sharing endorsement, or a separate small-business liability policy.
• Get the answer in writing (an email from your agent is fine) and keep it.
• Commercial gyms: check that your general liability policy covers drop-in visitors booked through a third party.

B. Check your HOA, condo rules and lease

• HOA or condo association: read your declaration and rules for anything on home businesses, guests, parking or commercial use. Florida's home-business law doesn't override HOA or condo covenants, and associations can fine owners who break them.
• Renting your home? Check your lease, and ask your landlord before hosting.
• Talk to your neighbors. A heads-up about the occasional car in your driveway goes a long way.

C. What Florida law says about home businesses

Florida Statute 559.955 limits how cities and counties can restrict or license home-based businesses that meet its conditions. Among them:

• business parking can't exceed what a similar home would normally need, and vehicles must park in legal spaces, not on the grass, sidewalk or street right-of-way;
• the home has to look residential from the street;
• the business has to be secondary to living there.

It doesn't override HOA covenants or condo declarations. It also doesn't replace local business tax receipts, which may still apply. Read the statute.

D. Safety checklist for your space

Good hosts on sqtr can tick every one of these:

• Separate entrance. Guests reach the gym without walking through your living space.
• Keyless entry. A coded lock lets you give each booking access without handing out keys.
• A camera on the gym entrance, if you're comfortable with one. Tell guests in your listing.
• Clear house rules in your listing: parking spot, shoes, music, cleanup, no guests beyond the booking.
• Equipment in good shape: check cables, pins, collars, benches and flooring before each week.
• Clear floor space around racks and platforms, and good lighting.
• First-aid kit in plain sight, and your address posted for emergencies.
• Water and a towel or wipes for cleaning down equipment.
• Know your guest: members are 18+ and agree to a liability waiver at signup. Confirm only bookings you're comfortable with.
• Parking: one legal spot in your driveway, not the street or lawn.

E. Taxes

What you earn as a host is income. Keep records, and ask a tax professional how to report it.