Renting Commercial Property
When renting commercial property, you need to know what you can do and what you cannot do with the property. Commercial property is usually office space or warehousing and storage. Renting commercial property such as an office or a storefront may require some remodeling if it does not meet your needs, you can discuss this with the property owner, who usually agrees as long as it adds value to the property.
Just as with renting a home, apartment or a mobile home, you will have a lease to sign, with rules and regulations specifically designed to protect the property, property owner and you as the tenant. The condition of the property will be noted and you must leave the property in the same condition or better when vacating the premises. Renting an apartment and a commercial property are different as to the condition, if you rent a warehouse, you might not realize that backing into a supporting beam at a high speed and leaving a mark or some evidence of the mishap can be considered damage.
Things that happen in commercial building may be accidental or unavoidable, but you can be held liable for the damage. You need to discuss all aspects of renting commercial property before you move into it. Because of the damage clause being so general in a commercial rental, you need to document every little detail right down to the condition of the floor. If you see lift truck skid marks, you need to document this before you start using the building.
When you vacate the premises, you can do a walk through with the property owner to explain any issues he or she may have about the condition. If all goes well, you can expect to have a security deposit returned to you with thirty days. If there are any discrepancies, you can then look back at the lease agreement with the noted damages that already exit to see if they are indeed new damages or older damages done before you rented the property. This is why it is so important to keep proper documentation as to prior damages before renting.
Commercial properties are easier to rent than say a house or an apartment. They are usually found everywhere and property owners need to fill the vacancies. However, you still need to protect yourself. Not many offices are going to need a lot of work to accommodate you, but if you do need to make some additions, you should talk with the property owner before doing any of this work. You should also find out if you could add more telephone lines if needed and maybe a few partitions if that is how your office needs to be.
If you take the time to look for the right place to rent, you will find that there are some nice commercial spaces with some affordable rent prices. You can sign yearly leases or may even a two or three year lease depending on your profession and need.
