Translate the business into a property brief
Define team size, customer visits, frontage, parking, power, floor plate, working hours and future growth. An office, showroom, clinic and restaurant may need very different buildings even at the same address.
Build a total monthly cost
- Rent and common-area maintenance
- Electricity demand charges and backup power
- Parking and signage charges
- Housekeeping, security and operating costs
- Amortised fit-out and brokerage costs
Value access realistically
Test employee commute, customer approach, public transport, peak-hour congestion and delivery access. A prestigious address can still create recurring operational friction if the actual approach and parking do not suit the business.
Read the term sheet before the lease draft
- Possession and rent commencement
- Fit-out period
- Deposit and refund conditions
- Escalation and lock-in
- Renewal, transfer, subletting and early exit
- Repairs, taxes, insurance and reinstatement
Choose the property that supports the business
The correct comparison is not simply rent per square foot. It is the cost, risk and operating suitability of occupying the space over the intended term.