First Office - Things to look for?

[jammy_basturd]

I've got to the point now where I need to get my own office and move away from the co-working space I've been using up till now.

The office I'm looking to take is this one. It's a great location in town, has several offices of all different sizes.

It's far too big for what I need by myself, however I have an associate who also runs a web dev business who is also looking for a larger office who would like to come in with me (I'll probably take the lease and he'll rent from me). I've already spoke to the lettings agent and he thinks I'll be fine to rent out some of the offices. What I'm looking to do is an easy-in, easy-out type service. Prices to rival Regus, meeting rooms available, IT and comms taken care of, just rock up with a computer and printer and away you go.

However, this will be the first office I've leased (and first time to sub-let too). Any pitfalls to look out for?

[uber]

1) NEVER listen to the agent they will tell you anything to get the sale so make sure your sub leasing agreement is written into the lease.
2) Make sure you are not responsible for the upkeep of the building especially if the roof falls in
3) Be ready for lots of additional costs like water, electricity, etc which all add up
4) Get an early break option, your friend could go bust and if so does it make sense for you to still be there
5) Read the lease 10 times, get your lawyer to read it 10 more and all wil be fine

[soxboy]

I note from the details that the landlord would consider an all inclusive rent. It may be worth speaking to the agent to see what this figure would be, once you have this you can look at the worse case scenario and see if you are able/ willing to stand that figure. The customers taking space will want an all inclusive rent so you may be best to see what all the costs are and to cap your liabilities.

It sounds like the landlord may be amenable to sharing occupation, however make sure that this applies to all occupiers rather than just you and your friend.

What's the competition like around the area? Regus and Co are very well presented, these offices look rather dated. The key is to also ensure that you have the best quality IT and telecoms in place right from the word go.

[singlecoil]

Appears to be only one parking space, will that be enough? And what happens is someone else is parked in it?

[jammy_basturd]

It's not so much of a problem. Parking in and around Canterbury is awful and everyone just puts up with it. We've looked at a lot of offices and most only come with one or two spaces. The agent says we might have access to two spaces, but they're getting that confirmed. It's also close to several car parks and some back streets, so it's actually better for parking than quite a few places we've looked at.

Thanks for all the advice so far, it's been extremely helpful.

In terms of legal costs, how much would be typical for moving into an office? Any PHer suggestions for someone I could use?