Offices To Rent

Whether you are launching your fledgling business or simply moving into a space to accommodate the changing needs of your established firm, many factors must be considered to ensure that your office rental will fulfill your business needs. The residential and business real estate markets share many basic tenets, the first and foremost: Location, location, location!
Is your business a retail or service business? If so, your business plan should have identified your target demographic. This knowledge should narrow the appropriate locations for your office space. For instance, you wouldn’t consider opening an upscale lunchtime eatery in a rural countryside an hour outside of town. Likewise, you should never entertain the prospect of situating your service or retail business more than 15-minutes outside the beating heart of your intended consumer.
If you are setting up simple office space, will you be meeting with or entertaining clients at your office? It is reasonable to assume that this will be required at some point, so best to plan ahead and select a space that is conveniently situated and well appointed to give your prospective clients the best impression. Selling a client on your services is convincing that client to invest in your business and it’s a difficult sell if your set-up includes bargain-basement decor in the low-rent district.
Will your business require staff? If so, how many, and what duties will they perform? Measure standard desks, chairs, cabinets, office machines and break-room accoutrements and take them with you on your rental tours. Keep a small measuring tape on your person and take the time to work out how the space can be arranged to accommodate your specific needs. If you can’t make it work in theory, you certainly will be unable to make it work in practice, so these simple tools may save you from investing valuable time considering a space that won’t accommodate your needs.
Count the electrical outlets and lighting fixtures. Will they accommodate the number of office machines and other equipment you will need? Will the lighting provide adequate illumination for your workspace, or will you need to rely on freestanding or desktop work lamps? If the latter, this will require dedicated electrical outlets to prevent overloading tired circuits with extension cords and multi-plug surge protectors.
What is the WC like? Is it adequate for the use of you, your staff and your clients? Does it afford the user privacy, or is it adjacent to the main workroom? Does its location require everyone to pass through your private office? If so, you might wish to reconsider the adequacy of the office space for your particular needs.
Is there a breakroom that will accommodate a refrigerator, coffee maker and water dispenser? Is running water available in the breakroom or must the water be carted from the WC? And how’s the plumbing? Will you be able to draw drinking water and tea or coffee water from the tap, or must you rely on bottled water? If so, estimate the amount of water needed (2-3 litres per person per day is reasonable) to get an idea of what this added expense will run on a monthly and yearly basis.
Look over the terms of the lease carefully and consider the long-term ramifications of each paragraph and subparagraph. Do you want a short lease so that you can easily walk away unscathed if your needs change or the space doesn’t work out as you’d hoped, or should you push for a longer lease term that will lock you into manageable terms for a longer period of time?
Take your time and try to look at the situation from every angle before jumping in. With the number of office properties available in the UK market a good agent should be able to find a suitable property for your business in a reasonable period of time.