I’ve spent much of my background overseeing commercial interiors on behalf of landlords and have run into many situations where a tenant is planning their project with little to no desire to communicate to Building Management, which thus ends up tripping them up at some point. If your business is planning a tenant improvement project in your leased premises, it behooves you to keep the following in mind:
- Initiate contact with your Landlord before starting your design process
Imagine beginning elaborate plans for a huge new server room that will require massive electrical and HVAC that can’t actually be accommodated at the building. The last thing you want to do is spin your wheels and pay to develop a design that has a conflict you aren’t aware of. By sitting down early with your Landlord or Building Management and explaining your project goals, you will not only avoid developing designs that are incompatible for the building, but you may learn what has worked well in the building on other projects.
- Review the lease terms as they relate to tenant improvements with Building Management early
In many cases the lease transaction dealmakers are not the same individuals executing tenant improvements or overseeing the work from the Landlord’s side of the table. Set expectations on requirements and timelines before too much time in the project passes.
- Ask for a list of preferred vendors as soon as possible
Aside from the fact that working with the building’s preferred vendors gives the Building Management team a great level of comfort, partnering with these vendors gives you an edge in working with experienced teams who know the property inside and out. In the event a project schedule must be significantly expedited, the use of vendors intimate with the property often results in quick, high-quality responses. Additionally, these vendors usually already have a great rapport with the Building Engineers, which can really go a long way.
- Don’t wait until you have your final set of drawings to submit to the Landlord
It is incredibly foolish to not give your Building Management a “sneak peek” at your design by submitting a progress set (often referred to as Design Development drawings). On a typical build-out, I recommend sharing the Space Plan and Design Development set with the Building Management to get continuous feedback before it is too late. Your team will want to avoid having to spend time redesigning if the Landlord has special requirements or comments that are not shared until the final Construction Drawings are reviewed.
- Welcome the Building Management team to attend construction meetings
In my experience as a Project Manager representing building ownerships, there were times that I felt very unwanted at tenant construction meetings. Tenants would be intimated by my presence, feeling like I was being too much of a watchdog, and I wasn’t always informed of key meetings. The more transparent tenants are with their project, the more the building management teams will trust them and the smoother the project will run.
The relationship with you as the tenant and your Landlord truly starts not on the first day of occupancy, but the moment you sign your lease and start planning your build-out. Keeping the lines of communication opens with your Landlord will ensure a healthy rapport.