Before you start searching for a great warehouse space for rent for your startup, you must to get educated about the commercial space leasing procedure. Being prepared will keep you from making foolish decisions and costly mistakes you will end up regretting in the future. Below are some insider suggestions to help make an informed choice when leasing a commercial real estate your business
Start the process of locating commercial space at least 6-12 months before your existing lease terminates or before your ideal move-in-date. Locating the perfect space and negotiating the deal will take 1-2 months depending on the size space and current market conditions. In most cases the spaces you like will need some type of modifications which the time required will depend on the scope of work.
completely research your company’s current and future needs. Consult with the various department heads for input in addition to some key employees.
Get familiar with allthe commercial property terms and definitions. Different landlords state and quote things differently. If you are unsure about what they mean do not be afraid to ask them to provide more information.
If you are not familiar with the commercial property leasing process or the current market conditions then consider engaging the help of a tenant rep. Their services do not cost you anything since building owners pay all the rental fees. The landlord rep will have an professional listing agent helping them so it would be a great idea for you to have one also.
Personally visit all the properties that meet your requirements so you can make a brief list. Keep in mind that the layouts can be reconfigured so don’t get stuck on that. Ask the landlord agents a lot of questions about who owns the property, property amenities, required lease duration, how much the landlord is willing to give in tenant construction allowances, etc..
Do not settle for the first commercial properties you believe is suitable for your requirements: continue looking until you have at least two to three alternative choices. These additional options will work to your benefit because you will know what to expect during the lease negotiations and you will gain more leverage with multiple building owners competing for your company. They also give you something to fall back to whether the discussions for your first choice go silent.
Send out proposals to your top three to five choices. These are not legally binding. You don’t ever want to have a landlord representative’s verbal note. Everything should be in writing.
To help you decide what property is most suitable for your company, prepare a spreadsheet to do an apples to apples comparison of each property. A few of the things you should put into consideration include the size of the distance, the inquiring foundation rental rates, the required lease term, and the incremental costs (taxes, insurance, maintenance, etc). It is also possible to take note about the advantages and disadvantages of each property. If you are budget conscious then you can quickly narrow down the list by calculating the monthly base rents for each property then removing those that are way over your budget. The monthly base rent is calculated by multiplying the commercial space square feet by the asking base rate plus any operating expenditures then dividing by 12.
If any of the commercial properties need tenant finish-outs then it’s essential that you figure out what changes you want on each and get construction bids. This way if the landlord is offering a tenant improvement allowance you will know how much out of pocket you will need to pay over and beyond what the landlord is willing to give.
Carefully examine and compare the terms of each proposal. Consider whether it makes sense to go back to each landlord to negotiate extra concessions. Be certain you fully understand the total expenses you are expected to cover. Do not get emotionally attached to a certain property until the discussions are over. Emotional attachment might lead to you signing a contract your business can’t live up to.
After discussions are finalized and you have made your selection now it is time to have the landlord offer you the first draft of the commercial lease contract.
Now it is time to review the commercial lease contract. It would be advisable for you to hire an attorney to review the lease. For those who have a tenant agent then they can review the lease with you as well. Industrial lease language can be negotiated. If you do not like particular lease items or would like to propose new language today is the time to do so.
Once the end of lease contract negotiations has ended the building owner will supply you a copy of the lease to sign.
There are several more things to consider when renting commercial space however these ideas will help get you going. If you are a new company renting space for the first time or an existing company who has just leased one or two spaces then consider getting help from a tenant rep. Their services don’t cost you anything and you will save a lot of money and time.