Start a bouncy castle hire business from home

Parents booking children's birthday parties, plus schools and community groups for summer fairs.

A flat hire fee per castle per day or half day, often with a delivery charge for longer distances. Weekends and summer are busiest.

• Reliable and good with timekeeping
• Comfortable lifting and setting up equipment
• Friendly customer service and safety awareness

• Public liability insurance that specifically covers inflatables
• Check what annual safety inspection is expected for commercial inflatables, for example through PIPA or a similar scheme, and whether your insurer requires it
• Check storage and business use with your landlord, mortgage lender or council if you work from home
• Weather, wind limits and cancellations, so set clear terms in advance
• Safe set-up, anchoring and supervision rules, and how you explain these to customers

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around £1,500 to £6,000, depending on how many castles and blowers you buy and your insurance. Public liability insurance should specifically cover inflatables.

Monthly revenue is typically around £300 to £2,000, depending on how many castles you own and how many weekend bookings you take. Estimates suggest at least 6 hours a week. Weather and cancellations can affect income.

Things to check include what annual safety inspection is expected for commercial inflatables, for example through PIPA or a similar scheme, whether your insurer requires it, and safe set-up, anchoring and supervision rules, plus storage permissions at home.