The right office is not the one with the lowest advertised rent or the most polished lobby. It is the premises that supports your work, remains legally and physically suitable, and has a documented total occupancy cost you can afford. Before signing, define your operating requirements, test the location and suite, investigate building systems and condition, price the complete deal, and turn every important assumption into a document, inspection, lease clause, or contingency.
This guide is a decision process rather than a generic tour checklist. Zoning, accessibility, occupancy approvals, construction requirements, and lease economics depend on the particular property, jurisdiction, business use, and negotiated documents.
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1. Write a requirements brief before you tour
A tour can make an unsuitable space feel compelling. Prevent that by writing a one-page requirements brief before comparing buildings. Use it as the scorecard for every candidate, and separate items that would stop the deal from items that would merely be nice to have.
Describe how the business will operate
- Current headcount, expected headcount at each year of the proposed term, and the amount of growth the layout must absorb.
- Open workstations, private offices, quiet rooms, interview rooms, conference rooms, reception, storage, kitchen or break areas, and circulation space.
- Typical visitor volume, client confidentiality needs, deliveries, after-hours work, and any equipment that creates noise, heat, vibration, or unusual power demand.
- Required internet providers, bandwidth, redundancy, electrical capacity, server or telecommunications space, security systems, and access-control needs.
- Employee and visitor parking, transit access, bicycle facilities, loading arrangements, and the travel times that matter to your workforce.
- Desired signage, branding, visibility, move-in date, lease length, renewal expectations, and likely future expansion or contraction.
These prompts reflect the categories identified in the Michigan commercial brokerage guide, including location, square footage, layout, parking, buildout, HVAC, internet and technology, signage, expenses, flexibility, and building condition. The guide is useful as a comparison prompt, not as a substitute for your own operating requirements or local advice: Crabill & Company’s office-space evaluation guide (updated August 31, 2026).
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Classify requirements as essential, preferred, or negotiable
An essential requirement might be a permitted professional use, accessible route to the suite, sufficient electrical service, or a move-in date tied to a contract. A preference might be a second conference room or a particular view. A negotiable item could be finishes, furniture, or the amount of signage. Record who made each assumption and what evidence would prove it. That record prevents a verbal statement on a tour from silently becoming a business commitment.
2. Compare the location and the real arrival experience
Visit each property as employees, visitors, vendors, and deliveries will experience it—not only from the broker’s preferred entrance.
Test access at relevant times
- Drive or walk the common employee and client routes during expected arrival and departure periods.
- Check transit stops, road connections, traffic queues, snow or weather exposure, lighting, and pedestrian crossings.
- Count practical parking spaces, not just the number stated in marketing material. Note reserved spaces, visitor spaces, accessible spaces, payment arrangements, evening availability, and overflow options.
- Observe building entry, reception, security screening, elevators, stairs, loading areas, and the route from parking or transit to the proposed suite.
- Visit when noise, deliveries, neighboring tenants, traffic, or staffing patterns are likely to differ. A quiet midday tour cannot establish conditions at 7 a.m., 6 p.m., or during a delivery window.
GSA federal leasing guidance lists transportation, amenities, security, parking, community factors, and building specifications as possible location requirements. Private tenants can use those categories as prompts, but GSA’s federal process does not set a rule for a private lease. GSA also states: “Lease requirements often include more than just building specifications.” See How to compete for a GSA lease (updated October 7, 2026).
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Take dated notes and photographs where permitted. Record the entrance used, parking conditions, security process, signage visibility, elevator wait, and any barriers between the public way and the suite. If the building promises dedicated signage, reserved parking, after-hours access, or delivery rights, identify the exact document that will establish each promise.
3. Test the suite against the operating layout
Walk the proposed premises and shared areas with your requirements brief in hand. Do not rely on a brochure’s “ideal for” description.
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Map work, meeting, private, and support areas
- Mark where workstations, private offices, meeting rooms, reception, storage, printing, kitchens, toilets, and circulation would go.
- Check whether doors, columns, windows, stairs, elevators, mechanical rooms, and structural walls constrain furniture or future partitions.
- Look for acoustical conflicts: a conference room beside a reception queue, a private office beside a noisy equipment room, or open workstations next to a loading area.
- Confirm that staff can move supplies and equipment without crossing confidential or visitor-only areas.
- Identify expansion zones and the cost of reconfiguring them. A layout that works on day one may fail when staffing grows.
Distinguish usable area from rentable area
Usable area generally describes the space your team occupies directly. Rentable area may include a proportional share of common areas, depending on the building and its measurement method. The two figures are not interchangeable. Request the landlord’s floor plan, the stated measurement standard or definition, the common-area calculation, and the lease language that controls. Compare candidates on the same basis.
A handheld laser distance measurer can help you take preliminary room dimensions and test furniture layouts. A conventional tape measure is a lower-cost alternative. Neither establishes official rentable area, verifies the landlord’s plans, or replaces the lease’s measurement definition or professional verification.
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Ask for plans and supporting information
- Proposed suite plan with dimensions and the area calculation.
- Common-area or load-factor explanation used to convert usable area to rentable area.
- Existing mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire-protection, and telecommunications drawings when relevant to the proposed work.
- Rules for measuring, remeasuring, or adjusting area if the premises change before delivery.
If the landlord will not provide enough information to understand what you are paying for, treat that as an unresolved commercial risk rather than filling the gap with an estimate.
4. Investigate building condition and systems
A clean suite can conceal limits in HVAC, power, water, elevators, roof systems, or telecommunications. Review the systems your operation depends on before you negotiate a final commitment.
HVAC and indoor conditions
- Ask what temperature-control hours are included, whether after-hours service costs extra, and who controls thermostats and setpoints.
- Confirm zoning: a sunny perimeter office, interior conference room, and equipment room may have different loads.
- Ask about recent failures, planned replacements, maintenance responsibility, and response times for service calls.
- Observe temperature, odors, moisture evidence, ceiling stains, visible mold-like growth, and unusual noise. These observations are leads for investigation, not a professional diagnosis.
Internet, power, and technology
- Obtain the providers that can serve the exact suite, not merely the building address.
- Ask whether fiber enters the building and suite, what pathways and risers are available, and whether installation fees or construction approvals apply.
- Confirm electrical capacity, dedicated circuits, emergency power, generator coverage, grounding, and space for network equipment where your use requires them.
- Clarify who owns and maintains cabling, access-control equipment, cameras, and other installed systems at lease end.
Shared facilities and maintenance
Inspect elevators, restrooms, stairs, corridors, loading areas, trash handling, and common amenities. Ask how outages are communicated, who pays for repairs, and whether operating expenses can include capital work or management fees. The lease’s definitions and exclusions control; marketing descriptions do not.
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Use qualified specialists for material concerns
A visual tour is not an environmental or structural inspection. EPA’s due-diligence material identifies physical and environmental condition, ownership, zoning, liens, encroachments, utilities, and building condition as matters that may require verification. It also describes environmental professionals, real-estate professionals or attorneys, and engineers as possible specialists. The discussion is written in a reuse and redevelopment context, so ask a qualified professional to scope an assessment appropriate to your tenant transaction and planned use: EPA Revitalization-Ready Guide — Chapter 3: Reuse Assessment.
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Do not assume that an office label in a listing proves your intended use is allowed. A clinic, training operation, customer-facing business, laboratory, food service, or other specialized use can trigger different zoning, fire, building, health, parking, or occupancy requirements.
Verify the legal use for this premises
- Describe the intended use, hours, staffing, visitors, equipment, and any unusual operations in writing.
- Ask the relevant local planning or building authority whether the use is permitted at the address and what approvals are required.
- Request available certificates of occupancy, permits, zoning confirmations, fire or life-safety documentation, and records of open violations from the property representative or appropriate authority.
- Make the lease contingent on obtaining approvals that are essential to your operation, where the parties and local law allow that structure.
EPA identifies zoning and building conditions among property attributes to verify in real-estate due diligence. It does not establish the requirements for an unspecified city, property, or business. Local confirmation is necessary.
Review the accessible route and planned alterations
Walk from arrival points through entrances, lobbies, elevators, shared corridors, restrooms, and the suite to the areas your staff and visitors will use. Note level changes, door clearances, hardware, elevator access, restroom configuration, signage, and any planned partition or finish work.
ADA Title III regulations address covered places of public accommodation and include requirements for new construction and alterations. The regulation’s new-construction provision references first occupancy after January 26, 1993, and applicable permit-application timing; those are regulatory applicability dates, not a universal test that every private office automatically passes. Review the official text at U.S. Department of Justice ADA Title III Regulations.
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Alteration obligations depend on the work undertaken and the spaces affected. The U.S. Access Board’s chapter discusses alterations, additions, and leased federal space under the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA). Its discussion of a 20% disproportionate-cost threshold concerns the accessible path of travel in that cited ABA standards framework; it is not a universal ADA cap for every private lease. See Access Board, Chapter 2: Alterations and Additions. Have a qualified design or accessibility professional assess the particular property, intended use, jurisdiction, and scope of work.
6. Define the buildout before you compare spaces
“Turnkey” and “tenant improvement allowance” can describe very different economic outcomes. Convert the proposed delivery into a written scope and responsibility matrix.
Resolve the construction scope
- Who prepares the design, engineering, permits, and code documentation?
- Which partitions, doors, ceilings, flooring, lighting, power, data pathways, HVAC changes, fire protection, accessibility work, and signage are included?
- What finishes, fixtures, furniture, and equipment are excluded?
- Who selects contractors, controls the schedule, approves substitutions, and inspects the work?
- What allowance is provided, when is it funded, and which costs reduce it—design, permits, project management, or construction?
- Who pays for overruns, change orders, concealed conditions, utility upgrades, and work required by the tenant’s specialized use?
- What happens if approvals or construction delay the stated delivery date?
The commercial guide notes that a landlord may provide improvements or an allowance while a tenant may bear some or all additional construction costs. The negotiated documents determine the allocation. Obtain drawings, specifications, allowance language, completion standards, punch-list procedures, and a delivery date rather than relying on a verbal promise.
Separate landlord work from tenant work
Create a two-column responsibility schedule for every item. For example, the landlord may deliver base-building HVAC and fire protection while the tenant pays for additional distribution, controls, data cabling, or specialty power. Identify ownership, maintenance, replacement, and removal obligations after installation. This prevents an attractive allowance from hiding a large unfunded scope.
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The lowest quoted rent may produce the highest occupancy cost once area, operating expenses, utilities, parking, construction, concessions, and restoration are included. Exact categories and amounts are lease-specific, so compare each candidate over the same period using the definitions in the proposal and draft lease.
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Build a candidate cost worksheet
| Cost component | What to obtain | Timing or qualification to record |
|---|---|---|
| Base rent | Rate schedule, rentable area, escalation method, and commencement date | State whether the rate is quoted per square foot, per month, or another basis; record each year or adjustment |
| Operating expenses | Expense definition, estimate, reconciliation method, exclusions, and cap language if offered | Record the base year or expense stop and whether estimates can be reconciled later |
| Utilities | Included services, submetering, after-hours HVAC, electricity, water, and data costs | Record who controls service and whether charges vary with use or operating hours |
| Parking and access | Reserved or unreserved spaces, visitor parking, fees, validation, and access-card charges | Record recurring, one-time, and after-hours charges |
| Buildout and tenant work | Allowance, landlord work, tenant contribution, design and permit costs, and overrun responsibility | Record payment timing, delivery conditions, and delay remedies |
| Move, restoration, and other charges | Moving rules, security deposit or letter of credit, insurance, signage, cleaning, and end-of-term restoration | Record when each payment is due and what standard applies |
| Concessions | Free rent, credits, reimbursements, or other incentives | Record conditions, clawbacks, and whether the benefit changes cash flow or total obligation |
Use a consistent comparison period and show both scheduled payments and one-time costs. Do not insert a vacancy rate, local rent, or lease-cost percentage without a dated, market-specific source; none is established here. Ask the landlord to identify every pass-through and obtain the draft lease’s definitions before treating a number as comparable.
Ask whether flexibility has real value
Evaluate renewal options, expansion rights, contraction or termination rights, assignment and sublease rules, rights of first offer, and the cost of relocating within the building. A shorter commitment may cost more per month but reduce risk; a longer term may justify a larger buildout while increasing exposure if staffing or revenue changes. The correct trade-off depends on your forecasts and the negotiated language.
8. Turn assumptions into documents, inspections, and contingencies
Make a decision log with four columns: assumption, evidence needed, responsible party, and deadline. Typical entries include:
- Area: landlord plan, measurement definition, and lease exhibit.
- Permitted use: written confirmation from the relevant local authority and a lease use clause broad enough for the intended operation.
- Occupancy approval: certificate or permit records and a condition tied to obtaining any required approval.
- Accessibility: documented review of the arrival route, shared facilities, suite, and proposed alterations by an appropriately qualified professional.
- HVAC and power: system capacity, operating hours, controls, maintenance duties, and service standards in the lease or work letter.
- Internet: provider confirmation for the exact suite, pathway rights, installation schedule, and cost allocation.
- Buildout: drawings, specifications, allowance, approval process, completion standard, delivery date, and overrun responsibility.
- Costs: rent schedule, operating-expense definitions, utility and parking charges, concessions, deposits, and restoration language.
- Access and parking: hours, keys or credentials, visitor rights, loading, signage, and reserved spaces.
Do not sign while a decision-critical assumption exists only in an email, tour conversation, or marketing sheet. Have a commercial real-estate attorney review the proposed lease where appropriate, and use engineers, environmental professionals, accessibility specialists, or space planners when the issue exceeds a visual inspection.
9. Use a weighted decision scorecard
After gathering evidence, score each candidate against your requirements instead of letting one attractive feature dominate. Assign each dimension a weight based on business impact, then score only what is documented or clearly qualified.
| Dimension | Questions to resolve | Evidence to attach |
|---|---|---|
| Location and arrival | Does it work for employees, visitors, transit, parking, operating hours, deliveries, and security? | Timed visits, route notes, parking terms, access and signage documents |
| Layout and area | Does the usable layout fit current work and growth? What area and measurement method does the lease use? | Plans, area calculation, furniture test, lease exhibit |
| Condition and systems | Are HVAC, internet, power, elevators, shared facilities, and required repairs suitable and documented? | Building records, provider confirmations, inspection reports, service obligations |
| Use, accessibility, and approvals | Is the intended use allowed, and does the route and planned work meet applicable requirements? | Authority confirmations, occupancy records, professional review, permit plan |
| Buildout | Who designs, approves, pays for, and delivers each improvement, and by when? | Work letter, drawings, specifications, allowance and schedule |
| Occupancy cost | What rent, operating expense, utility, parking, buildout, deposit, and other charges apply over the comparison period? | Proposal, draft lease, expense history or estimate, cost worksheet |
| Flexibility | What renewal, expansion, contraction, assignment, sublease, and termination terms are actually offered? | Option and transfer clauses, notice dates, financial conditions |
These dimensions make candidates comparable; they are not a legal checklist. A low score caused by missing information should remain “unverified,” not be converted into an optimistic assumption.
10. A final pre-signing checklist
- Approve the written requirements brief and identify non-negotiable items.
- Visit each candidate at the times and through the routes that matter.
- Obtain plans, area definitions, and supporting building information.
- Confirm intended use, zoning, occupancy approvals, and local requirements.
- Review the accessible route and planned alterations with a qualified professional where needed.
- Inspect or commission appropriate building, environmental, structural, and systems reviews for material risks.
- Complete a written buildout scope, allowance, responsibility matrix, schedule, and overrun plan.
- Price rent, operating expenses, utilities, parking, concessions, deposits, buildout, moving, and restoration over the same comparison period.
- Negotiate access, parking, signage, HVAC hours, technology pathways, maintenance, flexibility, and remedies for delay or service failure.
- Attach the final plans, work letter, cost schedules, and approvals to the lease or incorporate them by clear reference.
- Have the final lease reviewed by an appropriately qualified professional before signing.
What to look for when touring office space
Look for evidence that the location, arrival route, usable layout, building systems, condition, accessibility, intended use, buildout, and total cost fit your operation. Record what you observed, what remains unverified, and which document or professional review will resolve each issue. A tour starts the evaluation; it does not complete it.
Should you choose the office with the lowest rent?
Not automatically. Compare total occupancy cost and operational fit using the proposed lease’s area definition, expense allocation, utilities, parking, buildout, concessions, flexibility, and restoration obligations. The lower asking rent can be outweighed by a larger rentable-area load factor, expensive tenant work, unreliable systems, inadequate access, or a use that cannot obtain the required approvals.
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