Leased Office Space Basics
Look beyond the listings to find office rental space with value
Many companies want to lease office space in order to have a place to meet clients, a place to work and a place to base their business. Leasing an office space involves renting a space temporarily from a landlord. Leasing contracts vary widely; some include just a physical space while others include services and amenities as well as an office or building area.Having a professional and even prestigious business address makes it easier to market yourself as a trustworthy business. Leasing allows you to enjoy such an address. Before renting, you will need to find an available office space that meets your needs and negotiate a lease contract. Do the following to master lease office space basics and get the best deal for your business:
1. Hone your contract skills so you can negotiate a fair lease office space agreement.
2. Look through listings of office properties for rent to understand your market and potential costs.
3. Investigate virtual office options if you need small business services.
Understand the legalities of leasing office space
Understanding your office lease agreement is the most important aspect of mastering the lease office space basics. This agreement will define the terms of your contract and will outline your responsibilities and the landlord's responsibilities. You should always have such an agreement in place - checked by your attorney for fairness and legality, of course - and you should always look over and negotiate such an office lease agreement before signing it.
Try: Kaktus offers a free downloadable office lease agreement that you can take with you to meetings with a prospective landlord. Dale Willerton offers tips on negotiating lease contracts, which can help you get a fair deal when you're looking for office space for lease. His useful articles include information on how to negotiate office rental rates and how to pick a lease term that makes sense for you.
Browse online office space property listing sites for many options
Looking through listings of office properties for lease is one of the best ways to get a handle on lease office space basics. This is because listings offer you details about the market right now and help you understand the current costs of leasing in your area, availability, who the providers of commercial office space are in your area and what amenities you might expect in your market. This can be useful information to help you understand your options.
Try: BusinessNation offers listings of office spaces for lease in every state. Browse by state or use the search feature to find something specific. Star Office Space is an online listing service that allows businesses to search for office space to lease by city. You can also use the site to browse office space for rent by state.
Lease virtual commercial office space to save money and get the benefits you need
While many people assume that finding commercial office property for lease is all about getting an actual office space, many small businesses don't need a physcial office space at all. As more companies downsize and rely on virtual workers, virtual offices offering physical addresses as well as all the amenities and meeting space of traditional offices, are becoming more popular. Before you make any final leasing decisions, consider virtual offices carefully to see whether they fit your needs--you may be surprised.
Try: Crown Plaza Virtual Offices details the advantages and the potential challenges of leasing virtual office space. GreenerComputing points out how virtual offices save not just money, but also the environment.
- Carefully consider the full costs of leasing. In addition to your lease, you may need to pay for utilities, business services (such as receptionist services), building maintenance or office cleaning, furnishings and other costs. Even something as simple as parking costs or the cost of driving to your new office space can impact the "real" cost of renting a commercial space. Always compare these costs when comparing office properties for lease.
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