Rules
Part of What to check in industrial space before you lease: clear height, docks, yard, and services
Working through the industrial space checklist in order
An industrial space checklist built from documents: what to request before the tour, who reads what, the site visit itself, and the permission checks.
An industrial building is checked through documents as much as through visits. The listing describes the building; the documents prove it. This checklist is the request list: what to ask for, what each item establishes, and what it means when the landlord cannot produce it.
What to take away
- Ask for the documents before the tour. A landlord who cannot produce a slab specification, a sprinkler design or a panel schedule is telling you something.
- Each document goes to a different readerthe engineer, the insurer, the lawyer, the utility.
- The site visit confirms the documents. It does not replace them.
The document request list
| Document | What it proves | If it is missing |
|---|---|---|
| Measurement certificate and floor plan | Floor area, column grid, bay depths, office area | Measure yourself; assume the marketing figure is generous |
| Slab specification | Thickness, reinforcement, design load, joint layout | Have the floor assessed before committing to racking or a mezzanine |
| Clear height survey | Height under the lowest obstruction across the floor | Measure at several points, under ducts and lights, not at the peak |
| Roof report and warranty | Age, condition, past repairs, who carries replacement | Budget for leaks; negotiate the roof allocation hard |
| Electrical panel schedule and utility letter | Service size, voltage, spare capacity, what other tenants are committed to | Ask the utility directly about capacity and upgrade lead time |
| Sprinkler design and last inspection | Design density, commodity class it was built for, in-rack provision | Assume it suits nothing until a fire protection engineer says otherwise |
| Dock equipment schedule | Count, type and rating of levelers, seals, restraints, doors | Operate each on the visit and record condition |
| Site plan with yard and circulation | Truck court depth, entrance radius, trailer parking, gate positions | Walk the truck route yourself and find the pinch point |
| Certificate of occupancy | What use the building was approved for | Ask the building department; your use may need a change of use |
| Environmental report | Past contamination, current conditions, any ongoing obligations | Commission one, or accept unknown liability for what is under the slab |
| Survey and title notes | Easements, access rights, restrictions on the land | Ask the lawyer to obtain them before the lease is drafted |
| Operating expense history | What the shared costs have actually been | Treat the budget as a guess |
The dimensions these documents describe, and why each rules buildings in or out, are set out in industrial space.
Documents to request before the tour
- Measurement certificate and floor plan
- Slab specification
- Clear height survey
- Roof report and warranty
- Electrical panel schedule and utility letter
- Sprinkler design and last inspection
- Dock equipment schedule
Who reads what
Send each document to the person who can act on it, and give them your operation's numbers alongside.
Who reads which document
- Material handling designer: floor plan, slab spec, clear height
- Fire engineer and insurer: sprinkler design and inspection
- Electrical engineer or utility: panel schedule
- Lawyer: certificate of occupancy, survey, title
- Environmental consultant: environmental report
- Operations manager: site plan and dock schedule
Ask each for a short written opinion: does the building support the operation, and what would it take if not. The written opinions you collect here are the same ones that decide whether the building clears the industrial space requirements.
The site visit, document in hand
Go with the documents printed, and check each against the building.
- Measure clear height where the survey says it is lowest and where it says it is highest.
- Find the columns on the plan and confirm the grid on the floor, including any that were added.
- Look at the slabcracking, joint damage, spalling at the dock, patches. Compare with the specification's joint layout.
- Open every dock door on the schedule. Operate the levelers. Note anything seized or missing.
- Find the electrical room and photograph the panels against the schedule.
- Find the sprinkler riser and the design plate, and photograph it.
- Walk the truck route from the road to the dock and out again. Identify the tightest point and whether a trailer can leave without reversing onto the road.
- Look at the roof from inside for staining, and outside if you can for ponding and patching.
- Check where trailers would stand and whether that blocks a neighbor, a gate or a fire lane.
- Note what the previous tenant leftracking, a mezzanine, a compressor, a spray booth. Ask who owns each item and who is obliged to remove it.
Come back at your busiest hour and look at the park's roads, the shared entrance and the neighbors' yards.
Permission checks
The building can be right and the address wrong. These are separate enquiries, and none of them is the landlord's to answer.
Permission checks before committing
- Zoning district and use table
- Performance standardsnoise, hours, lighting
- Outdoor storage rules
- Fire authority permits for stored materials
- Environmental bodyair, wastewater, stormwater
- Building departmentchange of use, racking permits
The way to make these enquiries and record the answers is set out in zoning and permits.
Before the lease is drafted
- The written opinions from the engineer, the insurer and the utility are in hand, and any upgrade they require is priced and scheduled.
- The permission answers are in writing, or the lease is conditional on them with an outside date.
- The allocation of roof, structure, slab, HVAC, dock equipment and yard paving is agreed, not left to the form.
- The surrender obligation for racking, mezzanines and any equipment you install is agreed now, while you have room to negotiate. The lease mechanics for both are in commercial leasing.
- Any landlord's works are described in a schedule with a completion standard and a date, on the principles in tenant improvements.
- The condition of the building at delivery is recorded in photographs and a schedule, so pre-existing damage is not yours later.
Common questions
Which document is refused most often?
The sprinkler design. Landlords often do not have it, or have only the last inspection report. Without it, a fire protection engineer will have to survey the system, and you should get that done before signing.
Is a slab specification really necessary for a warehouse?
If you are installing racking above a modest height, a mezzanine or heavy equipment, yes. A slab that cannot carry the loads is not a repair; it is a different building.
Can I skip the environmental report on a modern building?
You can, and you then take the risk of what is under it. On land with an industrial history, the report is cheaper than the surprise.
How long do the utility and fire enquiries take?
Longer than the lease negotiation, often. Start them the day the building reaches the shortlist.
