This issue is always the main and most often controversial one when signing a lease agreement between a tenant and a landlord through estate agents. It is advisable to define in detail the obligations for utility bills in the contract itself. In the absence of this clause in the agreement, the dispute between the lessee and the lessor is resolved in accordance with law, i.e. responsibility for the utilities and its payment rests with the owner of the property (lessor).
Utilities are paid by the tenant
If the lease agreement provides for the tenant’s responsibility to pay for utilities, then you need to:
- On utilities:
- Find out the cost of utilities per month for your premises;
- Clarify the methods, terms and place of payment;
- Take readings from installed meters, indicating them in the acceptance certificate of the premises;
- Fix the date of the last calibration of the meters;
- Request from the lessor a copy of the contract with organizations providing utilities for this premises, with some to renew the contract;
- Find out who carries out garbage collection, conclude an agreement with them, and determine the place of garbage collection.
If, under the lease agreement, the tenant has assumed the responsibility for utility bills, then he needs to find out the following points:
- Telephone numbers of dispatch services that receive calls in case of a sudden accident;
- To reconcile the calculations for utility bills of the owner of the property and utility services;
Having found out all the necessary requirements for calculating for utilities, you can determine the total load for the rented premises, except for rent payments. Some owners of premises offer mutually beneficial terms of cooperation. Among such companies is New Life Group.
Acceptance and transfer of leased property
When drawing up an act of acceptance and transfer of premises for rent, all the features of the building should be noted. Clarify the area of the premises, its condition, malfunctions and shortcomings that exist at the time of renting the premises. List all installed devices and equipment. By this, you can protect yourself from unforeseen claims from the landlord.
Ceilings
High ceilings are important for locating production equipment in a rented space or for organizing a warehouse. The average height of an office building can be in the range of 2.5-3.0 meters. The average height in warehouses or industrial premises is 6.0 – 12.0 meters.
Utility rooms
Utility rooms in a rented building include:
- Restroom;
- Kitchen, etc;
When renting a room, you always need to learn about common areas, conditions for their maintenance and operation. It is advisable to include in the lease the terms of use of such places.
Fire safety
The act of acceptance and transfer of the premises must include the presence or absence of burglar alarms and fire-fighting equipment.
Communication
The cost of rent can be significantly affected by the availability of telephone communication and the Internet in the premises. If there are no one, then you need to find out about the possibility of independently laying a telephone line and connecting to the Internet. For a basement or basement, an important point is the presence of cellular communication.
Electricity
When renting a building for entrepreneurial activity with a large amount of equipment that consumes electricity, you need to familiarize with the technical conditions and the permitted electrical power for this room. If necessary, increase the power of consumed electricity with the permission of the owner and in the presence of all the documents established for this type of operation.
Working hours
The mode of operation is set by the tenant independently, if no one else works in the premises except him. In the case of renting premises in a building where many small firms or a trade organization work, and the entrance is common, the opening hours are set for all tenants the same. It is usually negotiated between firms. The new tenant must adjust to the established work schedule. In any case, when renting a building, check the schedule of its work.
Handing over keys and locks to the tenant
The landlord is obliged to hand over the keys and locks to the building to the tenant on the basis of the premises transfer and acceptance certificate. The number of kits is not only specified with the owner and information about this must be entered into the lease agreement, as well as the tenant’s ability to cut their locks in the premises.
Advertising
Many real estate tenants are planning to place outdoor advertisements for their activities. To do this, you must have a written permission from the owner.
Car parking
The presence of a car park is not only an indispensable condition for office and shopping centers, but also a necessity when renting premises. You need to inquire about the availability of parking, who owns it, paid or free, its opening hours, area.
Requisites
The lessee and the lessor have the right to exchange all their details: addresses, telephones, etc. In case of unforeseen circumstances related to the operation of the premises, the lessee and the lessor should be able to quickly contact each other.
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And finally, landlords, to be always in touch with the tenant, will not stay away from problems, but rather help in solving them. It is advisable to be aware of the tenant’s financial condition; if it is unstable, then it is better to start looking for a new tenant.
