Is my house a big brother house?

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by: David John Martin | Total views: 3 | Word Count: 513 | View PDF | Print View
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There’s something kinetic about the big brother house. Like it’s a ship moving somewhere. I guess the range of emotions, the sense of (albeit vague) purpose – in that they are there for a competition and the feeling that if they’re not going backwards, then they are going backwards while the rest of the world moves on past their capsule. What I find interesting is that for home insurance purposes, the BB house is classed as a work place.

That’s because I am self employed and spend a bit of time doing work from my home. I guess really, the council wouldn’t want me to pay business rates, because I’m really just doing a few small things and much of my work is away from home. At home I’m working on accounts, paperwork, writing letters. Away I’m out measuring the size of hills, photographing beaches, looking at river movements – that sort of geographical thing.

When I first moved in I sorted out my home insurance on one of those confused dot com type sites. Can’t remember the exact name because it just gave me a best quote and put me through to the actual insurer. It was just plain home insurance – I didn’t say I was working from home because it’s not like I’m running a factory making stuff with people coming in working for me. But for some reason I did call up the council to make sure they weren’t going to sting me for business rates.

This was a bit crafty, but I called up a neighbouring council office rather than the local one, and then asked the tax people a hypothetical question – that if I were to do some of my work from home, would it be classed as a business? I thought about referring to the big brother insurance quote in the news but didn’t. That would have sounded, well, silly. ‘Unless you’ve got a bright neon sign swinging outside saying you’re a business then we’re not going to know anyway, and business rates really apply to places that are only used for business.’ was the refreshing reply from the council man.

So basically my house is not like the big brother house. And my view of the big brother house is probably not the same as what it’s really like there. I suppose, when I have the free time, I pace and potter and daydream my way around the house and garden – maybe slightly like some of the contestants do.

But I’m not going to put lots of hidden video cameras around then ask people to come and live with me and get the public to vote one of us out each week and give the last one there some money.

I just really like the idea of having lots of space and free time and silly tasks to do – while big brother pays the gas bill, the electricity, the water, house maintenance, and sorts out the home insurance. Or is it business insurance?

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