Office space amenities can be very important, but being able to get ones that are not included as a cost in the original lease can be even more important. Far too often when people are searching for office space, weather it be traditional raw office space or serviced office space at a business centre, they assume that certain amenities will either be available or they can gain access to them or install them on their own.
Recently this writer moved into a new apartment unit that was created within an existing apartment building. I made arrangements to have an Internet company come and hook up my service. When I moved into the apartment, I noticed that there were plenty of electrical outlets, but there was no telephone jacks or cable outlets. Not having these outlets would make it difficult to get either DSL Internet via a telephone line, or to get Cable Internet through coaxial cable. I am still working with the landlord to resolve this issue, but in the meantime he gave me access to a wireless connection in the building that is rather slow and unreliable.
I mentioned my situation to a friend who was very sympathetic and told me a story of his own. It seems that a few years ago, before I met Tom through a mutual friend, he had been looking for Toronto office space. When he found the midtown office space location he liked, he signed a one-year lease. Not wanting to spend too much money, he chose an interior office that was a good size for what he needed.
Upon moving into his office, Tom asked the office manager how he could set up Internet service. The office space manager told Tom that for a small fee, he would be given access to the wireless service they provided. After a few weeks Tom noticed that the wireless access was not fast enough for his needs and sometimes he had problems connecting. He then asked the office manager if he could get wired service or a service of his own, but was told that he had no other options. He even heard from another tenant that his particular office had always had internet connection problems. After a good deal of time and expense, Tom was able to break his year-long lease and begin searching for office space again.
When Tom mentioned to our friend Dave that he was again searching for Toronto office space, Dave told him about this blog. Tom checked out the blog and the Telsec website and made arrangements to visit and tour this facility. Knowing his previous problems and reading about the amenities we list on the Telsec website, Tom knew the questions to ask and during his tour, one of our office space rental representatives was able to assure him that high-speed internet connection would not be a problem. They also told him about the various dedicated Internet connection options they could offer. Satisfied with their answers, Tom was prepared to sign another office space lease. Instead, Tom was told that there was no need to sign a long-term lease and he could even have a month-to-month rental agreement. Suffice to say, Tom has now been a happy office space tenant at Telsec for a year and a half.
So why did I write this blog entry? It’s simple! I want to encourage business owners looking for office space to check out the amenities of the places they are looking at and take a tour. When they are on the tour, have a list of questions to ask the rental representative regarding what on-site amenities are available and of there is ever a hidden cost attached. If they discover hidden or future costs, then by definition, they simply cannot be referred to as “amenities.”
