Viewing a warehouse what should i ask?

I plan on going to view a few warehouses to rent in the coming weeks.
I`ll be looking at places around 3-5000sq feet and preferably with racking
Does anyone have any advice as to what questions to ask when viewing?

Have the commercial rates been paid up to date?

Rates: What they are and are they uptodate, also them check your self by calling the local co. co.. Don't trust a what estate agents tell you.
Also: Management costs for the estate (if any), parking, heating, power, fire cert, alarm, fire alarm, lighting, rights of way, phone lines, internet (ADSL) available, asbestos roof?, insurance requirements, Type of Lease (Repairing/non Repairing etc), Maintance requirements (eg. repainting every 5 years etc etc), guaranties required?, deposit. etc etc.

Times are hard, so how many months will they give you rent free. It would also be worthwhile getting a quote in advance from your solicitor for the paperwork, I think about 1K is the current going rate.

Weight bearing load of the racking is important. Needs to be displayed for H&S. Make sure it suits your needs.

Towger said:

Times are hard, so how many months will they give you rent free. It would also be worthwhile getting a quote in advance from your solicitor for the paperwork, I think about 1K is the current going rate.

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Times are hard, why should a landlord let for free? You're way off the mark with 1k solicitors fee to draw up a commercial lease. Management fees, rates may be built into the rental price, any decent landlord will be thorough. The newer the building the higher the rates. I occupy an old unit and the rates are much lower than the newer industrial units built a few years ago. The council values the buildings and sets the rates accordingly. There are water rates and separate to that commercial rates. There are a lot of empty warehouses so you are in a strong position of negotiating a fair price. Landlord should request copy of your insurance. ESB etc will be in your name. Good luck

I have looked at over half a dozen warehouses in the last year. Appart from BIG drops in rents (advertised rents are in many cases meaningless, many landlords are getting desperate. ), several were offering 2-3 months rent free to cover fitout costs etc. I have a 1K quote in from solicitor writing, did not go checking around for better. The OPs solicitor does not draw up lease, the landlords does (fills in blanks in law societies standard template). The OP does not need solicitor, but one is recommended. The local coco does not value the building, the Valuation Office does. Older buildings may be lower apart from being in worse condition, but because they have not been revalued for years. This is big problem for many CoCos. The local CoCo decide the annual rates by toting up the rateable value of all rateable building in their area, deciding on how much money they need for the year and dividing one figure into the other.

To the OP, if the building has a mezzanine, check that it has planning, many don’t. You may also need a structural engineer to check it out... Also check the building's planning is suitable for your use.

A 1k quote from a solicitor to review a landlords lease and terms? I definitely would shop around. I am an owner of a small industrial unit 450 sq. ft, with mezzanine floor currently up for rent. We have had a lot of chancers look at it who don't want to get insurance, pay rates etc. The rates man calls in regularly for payment and says the newer larger warehouses are becoming more and more empty. Some of the industrial estates are like ghost towns, with tumble weed blowing along and creaky estate agent signs. An old unit doesn't necessarily mean 'run down' if its been managed well by management company as ours has. Rates also cheaper than newer units. Lots of unit holders defaulting on management company and rates payments, which makes them difficult to sell. I know of a few unscrupulous types who are renting out their units in our estate, pay no charges, while we pay every penny, its not right.