Renting business premises for the first time

[llareggub]

Scary stuff!

Basically we've outgrown the garage which has up until now served us well as corporate HQ.

We've found a lovely unit a (very) short drive away with low rent, a 12 month lease and it seems to tick all the boxes.

So, apart from insurance, rates, etc, what do we need to be thinking about? So far we negotiated the rent down, factored in the rates, service charge, electricity, phones and now I'm starting to panic.

Agent tells me that the lease is very straightforward and we can get a solicitor if we want. Do we want? I don't know!

I'm sure we're missing something....any advice?

LOL @ corporate HQ

You need to check if it's a fully repairing / insuring lease and if they require the premises to be reinstated when you leave should you make any changes, I would also check how long term you could potentially have the unit for as changing your bis location too much can be a pita, changing stationery, contacting clients / suppliers and re-directing post etc.

We leased a unit from local council and didn't get a solicitor. When we outgrew and needed to move we found one from a private landlord and did get it checked over.

Glad your business is doing well, nice to hear some good news for a change.

Does service charge include rubbish collection? As this isn't covered under business rates iirc.

So what's the business? [nosy]

Thanks both!

It is print and design, and although printers all over our area are making redundancies, we're not after big contracts and massive clients and there still seems to be quite a lot of work for us, even with the small amount of marketing we have done.

We specialise in small, short-run jobs with a quick turnaround. DH also does something quite techy and whizzy with some software that can produce personalised print-runs, which has a variety of uses. It is quite a rare skill and he has been doing consultancy work for other printers in the area. We have a regular client who gives us a lot of work and has recommended us to others, so although moving into the new premises is quite a scary prospect in terms of upping our overheads, it does mean we can take on more work than our garage allows.

We've negotiated the rent downwards and it is very, very affordable. No idea about the rubbish, will ask the managing agent about that as I don't remember seeing any bins.

We won't be making any changes to the unit, it is basically a bigger version of our garage and that will do for us. I'll ask the question though, it is something I wouldn't have thought of atworknotworking (good name!)

Sounds fab - good luck with it all

Our business rates didnt include rubbish removal, we had to hire a biffa bin. I remember having a very long conversation with the rates dept asking what exactly we were paying bis rates for, don't think they new either, said something about water coming off the guttering into the drainage system, I'snt that what we pay water rates for? was my reply, they wern't too keen when I suggested that we would install a water butt either

Glad it's going well