Searching for Premises

6. Know What You Want

6.1 The location must suit your business.

6.2 The premises must provide enough office, factory, storage and yard space.

• Will you need room to expand?
• Is the way the space is laid out important?

6.3 You may need access for employees, customers and deliveries seven days a week, or at night.

• Do you need to be on the ground floor?
• How many entrances (how wide and how high?) do you need?

6.4 You will need adequate services, including power, phone lines, plumbing and drainage.

• Does the work you do call for particular services (eg gas or three-phase power)?
• Do you have plant or processes that need special ventilation or air conditioning?
• Do you have unusual requirements for waste disposal and drainage?

6.5 The appearance and comfort offered by your premises must be appropriate to your business - for employees and for visitors.

• What are your requirements for light - both natural and electric - and heat?
• What facilities, such as WCs and a kitchen, will employees and visitors need?

6.6 Planning permission may be a critical factor.

• What planning category does your business come under?
• What new planning permission might you need (eg consent to put up a large sign)?

6.7 The building must be structurally sound.

• An older building may look nice, but will the wiring and plumbing be adequate?
• Will expansion or layout changes be possible?
• Must your premises have special physical attributes (eg overhead clearance, upper-floor loading or reinforced foundations)?