Moving Offices? Fitting Out? Refurbishing Existing? 20 Ways You Could Lose Your Shirt!

Oct. 12, 2011 - PRLog -- Moving to New Premises? Fitting Out or Refurbishing?
(20 Ways You Could Lose Your Shirt!)

1) Don't Do A Workplace Audit

To assess whether you have under-used workspace;
(i) Managers' offices are 50% larger than staff but are also empty 50% of the time.

(ii) Filing Cabinets - with office space at between £10 - £50 p.s.f and business rates/service charges potentially the same again, EACH cabinet could be
costing you £75.00 - £375.00 each per annum.

2) Don't Use Specialist Property Experts

To negotiate head lease terms with your landlords;
(i)   Reduced rent and/or service charges
(ii)  Rent-free period
(iii) Capped service charges or excluded

3) Do Conclude All Buildings Are Alike

(i)   Don't commission a M&E and/or Services survey
(ii)  Don't have a structural survey done
(iii) Don't have an assessment of existing lifts, plant, services, telecoms/IT connectivity, mains water and drainage.

5) Don't Order Phone Lines/Broadband

(i) Allow at least 8 -12 weeks
(ii) Check with service provider can port numbers. (May be a different supplier)

6) Do Expect Power Supplies to be Adequate

(i)  Landlord's supplies may not be split evenly between floors and/or common
       parts.
(ii) Lighting/power may not meet your requirements
(iii) Distribution will vary from building to building. Engineers should check
electrical loading required to assess whether upgrade required. If so, expect long
lead times, bureaucracy & additional expense.

7)   Assume Landlord Has No House Rules

(i)   May restrict working outside normal hours
(ii)  Restricted delivery times
(iii) Potential added time & expense

8) Assume All Fit Out Contractors The Same

(i)   Can you compare `apples-with-apples'?
(ii)  Do you understand industry `jargon'?
(iii) Have they a known track record & performance?
(iv)  Are they experienced in your type of project?
(v)   Do they have the necessary knowledge & skills?
(vi)  Is your project too big or too small for them?
(vii) How busy are they?
(viii) How committed will they be to your project?

9) Declare Modern Furniture Too Costly?

(i)   Believing that providing ergonomically desks & chairs will make staff
        "too cosy".
(ii)  Employees work more efficiently & effectively
(iii) Less days off through `stress-related' illness
(iv)  Projects the right company image
(v)   Avoid being sued for RPI.

10)  Don't Investigate Potential Tax Relief

(i) Capital allowances may be available for: demountable partitions, furniture,
     carpets, lighting.
(ii) Alternate forms of finance other than bank loan or out of cash-flow.

11) Do Ignore Health & Safety Issues

(i)   Hope that H & S E will not interfere
(ii)  Employer IS always responsible
(iii) Must appoint CDM Co-Ordinator where appropriate.
(iv)  Includes designers, architects & contractors

12)  Do Draft Your Own Fit Out Contract

(i) Unfamiliarity with JCT, RIBA, forms of contracts, causes reliance on fit out
     contractors T & Cs
(ii) Must include detailed work specifications, a fixed price and start and finish
      dates.
(iii)  Includes detailed drawings & a finishes schedule.

13) DDA, RR(FS)O - Won't Affect Your Business

(i) More than 5 employees must have a written fire report.
(ii) Where members of the public have access must make provision for all
       disabilities. (Wheelchair access, blind or partially-sighted, deaf, etc.)

14) Landlord Has No Interest in Your Fit Out

(i)  Tenants must obtain a Licence to Alter.
(ii) Failure could mean stripping out at your expense.

15) Ignore Responsibility for Dilapidations

(i) Can often cost the tenant more to vacate a premises than it did to occupy in the
     first place.
(ii) Must restore to previous condition if required.
(iii) "Keep In Repair" often means "Put In Repair"
(iv)  Agree financial settlement in lieu

16) Assume that Service Charges Are Straightforward?

(i) Check first with property experts
(ii) Maintain interior only or exterior as well?
(iii) Is there a `sinking fund' for maintainence?
(iv) Maintain insurance cover during fit out

17)  Ignore `Asbestos At Work' Regulations

(i)  Access Asbestos Register held by landlords
(ii) Obtain specialist advice if suspected present

18)  Don't Book Moving Company Early

(i)   Must supply specialist IT `kit' removal crates
(ii)  Must fully protect new building
(iii) Must provide crates & labels well in advance
(iv)  Seize chance to remove unwanted `clutter'

19) Ignore Post-Relocation Support

(i) Maintenence Contracts - Alarms, A/C Installs,
(ii) Emergency Call-Outs

20) Don't Take Business Continuity Seriously

(i)   IT Back-Up policies
(ii)  Fireproof storage
(iii) Comms Room Security
(iv)  Disaster Recovery
(v)   PR Plan

However, it doesn’t have to be like this. By sitting us down at the table - before any major decisions are taken - we would normally expect to be able to find savings of at least 10%-15% on any `normal’ market prices with savings of up to 20%, 30%, 40%, or more, once we’re fully involved.

(Which savings of course more than cover our very modest fees!)

As one beleaguered Operations Manager recently put it “The thousands of decisions facing the average move manager today resembles a minefield - you simply can’t see where the hazards are until you step on them".

Give us a call today, no matter how early or late on in the process you are!

We guarantee that if you are not completely satisfied with any of our services we’ll give you your money back!

CALL US NOW ON: 0800 458 6578  

Whitehead Francis Associates,
Kincaid House, 28 Warren Road
Banstead, Surrey,
SM7 1LA, United Kingdom

Tel/Fax: +44 (0)800 458 6578   •   Email: info@whiteheadfrancis.co.uk

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Specialist advisors help clients save their precious time & money for all aspects of commercial interior fit out, refurbishment or relocation. Clients enjoy complete freedom to get on with what they do best — making profits for their own business!