Below is another list of simple guidelines you can follow as you entrust your medical office-hunting to your chosen broker agency.
1. Always Communicate With Your Broker
It may not be wise to do the price-hunting yourself, let alone the negotiating of said rental and/or lease prices. There is a reason why broker agencies are your knights in shining armor—they are professionals in this field. They know the locations, have tons of contacts for medical offices and related inquiries, and more.
Do not commit the mistake lessors of medical spaces often carry out. And that is to enact decisions without first consulting their brokers. You may end up with an office that banners a significantly higher price tag. Something you can avoid simply by communicating your question to your broker and giving them the floor to handle negotiations.
2. Rentable Versus Usable
Let your broker clarify these two terms for you: “rentable” and “useable”. Rentable areas and/or square footage refer to the space your office will be using solely. Only, it may include parts of the building’s common space. On the other hand, useable spaces are frequently referred to as “common spaces” for all the tenants within an establishment.
You will have to clarify more on these designations with your landlord, through the mediation of your broker.
3. Additional Fees: Net, Gross, Etc.
Some landlords generally give out quotes for medical offices for lease without getting into the specifics of numbers. Tenants are provided with an estimated calculation of their monthly rent and/or utilities exclusively.
That being said, have your agent identify the net from the gross amounts for fees, amongst similar add-ons. A net total may not include add-ons such as utilities, or common area usage (i.e. elevator and/or cleaning costs, etc.). In contrast, a gross total should have most, if not all, possible additional charges. A full-service gross total is typically what describes the latter.
Regardless, be sure that your broker can clarify these particulars with potential landlords.
4. Improvement Allowance
There are times when medical offices are marked down because they require a few refurbishments. Technically termed in this context, these expenses are “improvement allowances”.
Either that or will your rent be less for the next N months instead of the need to allot an overhead for said improvements?
5. Accessibility
“Accessibility” here refers to your office’s ease of access for patients with disabilities or are lacking in faculties for mobility due to health conditions. Not unlike law firm website design, where ADA compliance is a necessity, accessibility is a factor that you and your medical team have to take into consideration to accommodate patients.
Full accessibility is ideal for medical offices. If not, inquire if this can be included in the improvement allowance.
6. Waste Management
A large percentage of waste from medical offices and practices are “biohazard”. Biohazard waste is that which poses a threat and/or risk to being a danger to humans and/or to the environment. Landlords of medical spaces ought to be aware of this variable, and how to discard said waste type, accordingly.