Not necessarily. In the current market many Landlords would prefer to capture a Tenant (assuming the lease terms are acceptable) even if the commencement date is not immediate.

For example, it is not uncommon for a Landlord to lock in a lease and rent commencement date 4-6 months beyond when a Tenant is prepared to begin a lease. This timeframe could be longer if the space has been sat vacant for quite some time.

Larger space occupiers will find that prospective Landlords are prepared to commit to a lease further in advance than they would for smaller space occupiers. An experienced leasing agent will be able to advise you on this.

Every business has their own unique requirements, but many companies are now preferring to have their staff occupy largely open plan, collaborative working environments.

The majority of open plan office spaces are designed to accommodate staff at a ratio of approximately 1 person per 10m2 – 12m2 (of space). Tenants that have requirements for a greater number of offices (legal firms for example) will generally design their tenancies at a space per person ratio of more like 1 person per 15m2 – 18m2.

It is best to start by determining the number of people that you are looking to house. An experienced leasing agent will then be able to provide a size range for you to work with. It is important for tenants to get out and have a look at some premises early in their search as it often helps to give context around the sizing of space.

If a Tenant has a strong preference to do a new fit out rather than find a tenancy with an existing fit out, it is then organised for a designer to do an indicative space plan to ensure the search is focused on tenancies of the right size.

Caden’s office space calculator is also a great tool that will give you an estimate if your space requirements. This can be found at www.caden.com.au/office-space-calculator/.

1) Most Tenants will engage a lawyer to negotiate a lease on their behalf and therefore incur legal fees;

2) A Tenant may be required to pay the cost of any Title Searches or other supporting documentation required to support the lease;

3) A bank guarantee is generally required (by the Landlord) as security against the performance of a lease. Most financial institutions will charge a fee to coordinate and produce a bank guarantee;

4) If the Tenant needs to update their insurance policies (as per the lease) to comply with the lease their insurance company may charge a fee for this.

Note* It is important to check with the Landlord should they require any other payments, particularly if you are undertaking a fit out within the premises. It is also important to check with your solicitor should there be any other costs applicable under the lease.

This largely depends on the individual. Some Tenants like to look at a range of properties/tenancies and others prefer to look at a lot less. Market conditions at the time of the search may also dictate how many properties are available to inspect. If vacancy is low there may only be a few viable options, whereas if vacancy is high there could be many.

The vacancy rate within the Brisbane CBD is currently trending above the long-term average and therefore options are aplenty.

In general terms, many Tenants don’t have an exact brief at the beginning of their search. Therefore the process of inspecting tenancies is important in assisting them in making decisions as to the size of space, appearance and budget.

Ultimately there is no right and wrong answer to this question. An experienced agent will show a prospective tenant as many spaces as is required for them to be sure that they are making the right decision.