Warehouse landlords: Your industrial real estate checklist
Warehouse and industrial space ranges from pallet storage to manufacturing and distribution, and each industrial property has its own requirements to consider.
For warehouse landlords, it is impossible to meet every one of your tenant’s requirements, however here are a few standard ballparks you need to consider:
Height of warehouse:
Today, warehouses usually come with a ‘clear height’ of 18-25 feet as standard. Clear height referring to the distance between floor and ceiling before any obstruction like a fan or pole comes into way. Keeping an eye on these obstructions is essential for optimising storage and pallet space.
Unloading dock:
It is preferable to find a warehouse with an external loading dock, to make sure the tenant is not required to create one inside.
The most important one, LOCATION:
It is the golden rule for warehouses to be situated near highways, expressways, ports, cargo docks etc. These are valued much higher than those located further away. And with fuel prices on the rise, shorter delivery time expected, optimising the location of your warehouse space could be the make or break of your customer experience.
Land area and office space:
The more is usually the better because it means extra parking, more storage opportunity etc.
Office space is not always required but is still important to consider. Generally speaking, the total square footage acceptable for office space is between 5-10%. This could impact the tenant’s options when it comes to worth and less may require the tenant to have to look at expanding.
Check out the The 5 Most Important Things to Consider When Leasing Industrial Space here.
Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC):
Unfortunately the majority of warehouse spaces are not built with a full HVAC system meaning the tenant is responsible for implementing their own if needed. And if you’re leasing a space to a new tenant who installed HVAC previously, it is nearly impossible to know if the system was maintained properly, and if this is going to cause some repair challenges.
The electrics:
As the landlord, if you do not know what is available, then you will need to hire an electrical engineer or electrician to evaluate the warehouse’s electric capacity. The last thing your tenant wants is insufficient amperage and power that blow out transformers.
Expansion:
Keep an eye on your adjacent tenants and whether or not they have plans to expand. If you plan on expanding later down the track it is good to know you have that option.
Maintenance of the property:
Keep a clear conversation around who is responsible for what. For example rubbish is usually an expense for the tenants.
These are only a few things to check when you're leasing your warehouse space. If you have any questions about leasing your industrial property, or if you are a tenant looking for space, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us through our simple platform to let us know your requirements.
Published: 17 September 2020