Charging for Home Haunts

[shawnc]

I figured there would be different problems with asking $2 per person, but when we talked to the sheriff she said it would be alright as long as we weren't looking to make a profit and I think it helped that we were just doing it on Halloween. I mean I'm sure technically it wasn't, but no one really told us otherwise and we talked to a few people including someone at the permit office.

Jake

The "make a profit" thing doesn't matter; that's just semantics or splitting hairs. You are making money and that makes you a business.

If you did this long enough to pay off your props, or if you could have built them cheap enough to begin with, then you would be making a profit. You and your accountant are the only ones who would know when you are making a profit so that isn't a good standard or even a good term to use.

[scarygoat]

Haha, we haven't paid off ANYTHING because with a new haunt comes a new design, then new props, then new everything. People around here are happy to go through it for $2. We have had many complements on it. Bottom line is we got permission, and everything is working out. So for now, we will continue what we are doing as everyone is enjoying it.

[grantbrott]

I noticed this topic while reading through. I have done a home haunt for 5 years now and we had looked into the charging aspect to help break the financial burden. I talked with some business mentors from courses I took while going to school for business and they basically said what others are saying here is once your charging at the door or any other way your considered a business and at that point you have to have permits, insurance, fire inspection, here in California if its 1000sq ft or more you have to have a fire sprinkler system and the list goes on. The past two years now we have made a amazing gory donation box and had it at the entrance/exit area. This past year the economic hardship really showed as we only had like $20 but the previous year we took in over $100 in donations which was awesome since we do our best to use recycled materials and donated materials for all the woodwork and other aspects of buildup. So if your not up to the business side of it yet I would highly recommend setting up a really cool donation box for your haunts. You might test out having one at the entrance and exit if they are 2 different locations since some might not want to donate to something they have not been through yet, i have not tested this theory out yet but am curious to the outcome of it.

[Dungeon Keeper]

What are the legalities of doing a $2 donation per person?
That way it is implied as voluntary, but most will pay or move on rather than raise a stink about charging, and if they do you simply let them in. Complaints about price will be few and far between, and long as you are giving them thier moneys worth or more they will leave satisfied and scared.

[scarygoat]

What are the legalities of doing a $2 donation per person?
That way it is implied as voluntary, but most will pay or move on rather than raise a stink about charging, and if they do you simply let them in. Complaints about price will be few and far between, and long as you are giving them thier moneys worth or more they will leave satisfied and scared.

I believe that is OK to do. We are moving our haunt to the YMCA so we don't need to worry about that anymore YAY!!!

[HauntedDestinFL]

We did end up using a donation box and did very well with it. We ended up giving the money to family who's child was very sick from cancer.

[Lord of Fright]

I help out with Darkwing Manor here in OR. We do a suggested donation and we have two women who really suggest it!! Darkwing this year pulled in a great amount doing this, all was donated to a charity. Like I read in another post, do a good job and wow them then they don't mind paying, ore even paying for the people in line with them that didn't donate!

[sixfootgeek]

We have never charged, I will tell you this however. If you befriend your local fire marshal/chief and let him/her know what your plans are you should be just fine. There is a fine line between a real business and a yard sale. The best thing you can do is local research.