When it’s time to leave a commercial premises, whether it’s an office, warehouse, or shop, the expectation with the landlord is that the building is returned back to its original state. This is what’s called a make good. Sometimes a make good is referred to as a commercial strip out; it’s all the same thing: it all refers to the actions a tenant needs to take at the end of a commercial lease.

What exactly needs to be done in the make good/strip out process will depend on what state the building was at the beginning of the lease as well as what is outlined in the contract. Some buildings are leased as just a shell, with no floor coverings, partitions, or false ceilings; often the expectation is to bring it back to base building at the end of the lease in a situation like this. Other time, a building may be leased with basic fittings, and the expectation is to still return things to their basic state. But situations do exist in a more “in between” state when it comes to make goods.

Since there are different situations, every commercial make good is different as well. But there are similarities too, and similar ways to get ready for your upcoming make good when you’re ending a commercial lease.

Speak To Your Landlord About Your Make Good Obligations

Generally speaking, what’s in the commercial lease is what is expected for the make good, but it’s always worthwhile speaking to your landlord before commencing any preparations for a strip out.

When speaking with the buildings’ owner, don’t expect them to want your business to keep the existing commercial fit-out, but also speak to them about what aspects of the fit-out may benefit them and can be saved (and safe you money). The existing fit-out in a commercial environment is unlikely to be suitable for the next tenant, so it’s unlikely the building owner will want to keep it, however, some smaller items may be beneficial to the landlord while saving the old tenant money on removal.

With this in mind, the premises may have originally been leased as a base building, but the landlord may be open to keeping a number things like floor and wall coverings. It’s worth speaking with the owner and negotiating exactly what needs to be done as part of the make good, even if it’s just to clarify contractual obligations. This will avoid conflict in the future.

Speak To Professional Early In The Process

Once the make good obligations are clarified, speak to a professional commercial builder about the project to get an estimate of how long the work will take. Engaging a professional early will ensure there are no delays in the make good project and also make sure that all parties involved in the project are aware of the scope, what needs to happen, and when it needs to happen.

A professional make good company can help with other aspects of vacating a commercial premises too, while also giving advice on the general make good process and how to work with your landlord for the best outcome. Involving a professional early can really help.

Make Sure You Have Time To Actually Vacate The Building

Keep in mind that the make good needs to be finished by the time your business is expected to end its lease. This means that the business, its people, and all of its furniture needs to be gone before the make good project starts. So, assuming your business is moving offices, the office relocation needs to be completed before the make good starts. So, for example, if it’s anticipated that the make good will take two weeks, your business needs to ensure that it’s moved out at least two weeks prior to the last day of the lease in order to ensure there is enough time for the make good to happen.

It seems like an obvious reminder, but remember that the business needs to work to a move out date that can be many days or weeks prior to the actual end of lease date. Allow plenty of extra time.

Enjoy Your New Location

Whether you’re moving your business because you’re expanding or because you’ve just found a better office somewhere else, it’s important to enjoy your new location. Here at A1 Precision Solutions, we can provide complete end to end business relocation services including the fit-out for the new location, the relocation of the old business’ furniture and other goods, and the make good of the old premises. Not only does this ensure that all aspects of the project happen on time, it also means that the business being moved only has one supplier they need to worry about during a business time.

If you have a relocation or make good coming up, feel free to get in touch to discuss the project.