Tips to choose the right office space for you in India

Choosing the right office in India

So you are looking for the right headquarter for your firm or are looking at branching out into one of the booming Indian cities. You need the right office space. Here are a few points to help you clear the cloud.

1) Choose a reputed marketing agent who knows about the various office spaces on offer. This helps you get the most amount of (and credible) information on various buildings, available sizes, local trends and developers. The more choices you have, the tougher it is going be to make that decision. A good agent helps here. List down all the critical points under consideration like area, efficiency, energy consumption (yes green buildings cost more rent wise but save you a lot in terms of operating costs), deposits and facilities on offer. Have the agent make a comparative chart of the different buildings on offer. Seeing them all together helps you make an informed decision.

2) Analyse the comparable sets of data for each office space on offer in details. Most developers would make you pay for the chargeable area. This includes the actual area you get for your desks, lobbies, pantry, washrooms, server areas plus the common areas that are loaded on to your usable area. Class A office buildings will generally have a higher loading (and thus lower efficiency) compared to smaller Class B or C office buildings. If you are dealing with one agent, you will have a chart of comparable data but in case you are dealing with multiple agents, the formats may be different. Analyse them all in detail. Ask for additional information when required. Do not hesitate. Zero down to the option that works best for you.

3) Analyse small details like air conditioning, common area loading, other clients operating in the building, power back up and car parking for employees and visitors properly. Also, if your office is 24x7, ensure that common facilities are not shut down beyond certain hours.

4) Study the main contract that is on the table and see how flexible it is. Look at the efficiency, general terms and conditions, down payments and other costs. Is the contract term extendable? How easy is that? How is the developer calculating maintenance costs? Is it as per actual and open book or is it fixed? Again, Class A office building contracts are a less flexible than others as there are immense debts on such constructions. However, with a slight over supply situation in most cities in India, negotiate if possible. Its your money after all.

5) Analyse the office space beyond the mere square footage. Square feet should not be the deal maker for you. Factors like the shape of the office, actual desk area and facades allowing natural light to come in should be more important. Trust us, we have seen a 3000 Square feet office accommodating more work stations than a 3750 Square feet office because of the design and shape of the space. Rectangles work best in this case. Also note that natural light will illuminate only 7 to 8 metres inside the building and having a longer area to get in more sunlight will go miles to reduce your illumination costs.

6) Finally, calculate the rent per desk. Get a designer to tell you how many desks or work stations can be best accommodated in a particular office space that you are zeroing in on. Now divide the total rent by the number of work desks that you have. This should be the deal maker for you ultimately. The more employees you can get in to comfortably work in your office, the higher the per square feet revenues and returns will be.

These points should help you cut to the chase. If you have a specific question, do leave a comment!