What You Should Know About Signage Rights as a Commercial Tenant

Posted on November 8, 2021 by bafcorp20

Many in the industry would agree that branding is an essential, if not central, element to growing a successful business. One of the most effective and traditional methods of business branding is signage. Having the name and logo outside of your business is a valuable branding approach that influences potential consumers, plus retains the loyalty of your current clients.

But if you do not own your own building, your rights to signage may not be as clear cut as you would expect. As a commercial tenant interested in adding signage for your business, there are some important considerations you must keep in mind before signing a commercial lease or moving forward with signage procurement and installation.

Continue below to learn what you need to know about signage rights for commercial tenants.

Commercial Contractors Indianapolis Indiana 317-253-0531

Commercial Tenant Signage Rights

If you are a new or potential commercial tenant, it is important to understand that signage rights are not guaranteed. There are some commercial landlords that do not permit signage on the outside of their building or marque, and others that only allow signage within strict design and color restrictions for the purpose of uniformity.

It is also common for commercial landlords to have preexisting agreements with other tenants that impose a restriction of some kind on new tenants’ rights to business signage. In some cases, it is not up to the commercial landlord at all, as local zoning laws can also prohibit signage, or the amount of signage on or around buildings.

Negotiating Business Signage With a Commercial Landlord

Because the rights and perimeters of business signage are more complex for commercial tenants, it is wise to always inquire about business signage before signing a commercial lease. As a commercial tenant, you may be able to negotiate your signage rights if the current lease does not offer what you are looking for.

If you are already in a commercial lease, you can wait until your lease is up for renewal, and then have signage rights added to the lease. It is vital to have your negotiated or amended signage rights spelled out in writing in your lease agreement.

Common Types of Business Signage Arrangements:

► Shared Building Signage

If a commercial building is shared by two tenants in equal ways, a landlord may agree to or permit a shared building signage system. With shared building signage, both commercial tenants can display their business signage on the building’s facade. This is a common signage arrangement in the commercial real estate industry.

► Exclusive Building Signage

In some cases, a commercial landlord will agree to give a tenant exclusive building signage rights. This means that commercial tenant is the only business displayed on the outside of the building. This signage arrangement is most common in commercial buildings that only have one tenant or space for one tenant.

► Exclusive Monument Signage

Many commercial buildings have monument signs on the outside of the parking lot or street. In such leases, it is common for landlords and tenants to adopt an exclusive monument signage arrangement. This would permit the tenant to display their business signage as a stand-alone sign or within the monument signage out front. This is most commonly reserved for key commercial tenants.

Are you looking for a trusted commercial general contractor to help you plan out your upcoming business move or redesign? Contact BAF Corporation at 317-253-0531 for superior commercial general contracting services in Indianapolis, Indiana.We serve commercial and industrial clients all throughout the state.

Indianapolis Commercial General Contracting and Design Build Services — Contact Us Today 317-253-0531

Commercial Lease Terminology You Need to Know Before Signing

Posted on October 22, 2021 by bafcorp20

Before signing on that dotted line, be sure you are clearly interpreting the commercial real estate leasing jargon on your contract. Continue below to review some of the most common commercial lease terms and definitions you need to know if you want to make an informed and intelligent decision on your new office or business space.

Commercial Space Planning Indianapolis IN 317-253-0531

Vocabulary Terms on a Commercial Office Lease

Understanding the terms and conditions of your commercial lease is quite difficult if you are not familiar with the standard terminology used within such contracts. It can be especially troublesome if you wish to amend or get out of your commercial lease at some point.

Some of the most common terms you will come across, on your standard commercial office lease that is, include common area maintenance, load factor, option to purchase, parking ratio, right of first refusal, rentable square footage, usable square footage, and request for proposal. Let’s start with these:

Common Area Maintenance

Common area maintenance (CAM) is a general term used to describe the stipulations surrounding shared maintenance expenses for the building you are leasing within. In a multi-unit building, each tenant may be required to contribute to such costs, which are typically decreed within the lease.

Load Factor

Load factor, or core factor, is a calculated number generated by the property management company or landlord of the building. This number represents the division of common area square footage among each tenant. This number allows you to interpret the value or fairness of your rentable square footage.

Option to Purchase

Option to purchase is a term typically reserved for leasing a whole building, not just a unit within a multi-tenant office building. Option to purchase is a section that will describe clauses for a tenant who wishes to buy the building outright one day. An Option to purchase agreement should take into account the amount of rent paid to date.

Parking Ratio

Parking ratio simple refers to the number of parking spaces allotted to the tenant’s rented space. For a multi-tenant office building, there could be a certain number of spaces assessed for employees and visitors.

Right of First Refusal

Commercial leases that have a Right of First Refusal clause gives tenants an upper hand when new space becomes available in the building. A landlord must notify you and offer you any newly available space before advertising it to the general public. Basically, you have first dibs, plus to right to refuse it.

Rentable Square Footage

Rentable square footage is the total square footage of the space you are leasing, plus any shared or communal spaces that other tenants use as well, such as outdoor break areas, hallways, break rooms, cafeterias, bathrooms, and elevators.

Usable Square Footage

Usable square footage is generally less than the rentable square footage. It represents the total square footage of the space that can actually be occupied and used. For instance, if an office space has a basement level that is unfinished, it is not usable, and therefore, would not be included in the usable square footage value.

Request for Proposal

A Request for proposal is also called an RFP document. This document is constructed by you and your broker, then submitted to the commercial landlord to notify them of what you expect and want with your leased space. The landlord can respond by informing you if their facility meets your needs or not. This document tends to commence the lease negotiating process.

Are you looking for help procuring and designing a new office space for your business? Contact BAF Corporation at 317-253-0531 to speak with our esteemed commercial construction management teams about our space planning and permitting solutions we offer in Central Indiana.

Why Your Building Needs Commercial Fire Doors

Posted on October 15, 2021 by bafcorp20

Commercial fire doors are a wise investment for your brick-and-mortar business. All commercial buildings should be fitted with top-quality and compatible fire door systems for the safety of their staff and customers. Continue reading to learn why your business needs commercial fire doors, as well as who to call in Central Indiana for superior commercial construction and door installation work.

Commercial Doors Indianapolis Indiana 317-253-0531

Fire Risk Prevention for Commercial Properties

The risk of building fires is real. It is important to equip your commercial building with the right fire suppression systems, including automatic sprinklers, smoke detectors, smoke alarms, and high-rated commercial fire doors. Commercial fire doors are a top security feature for any commercial building, as they are designed to act as a barrier between fire danger and potential fire victims.

Furthermore, they are specially designed with fire resistant hardware and framing capable of resisting extremely high temperatures. Commercial fire doors are also fitted with innovative smoke seals, which help prevent the spread of toxic smoke through the premises during a fire outbreak. For these reasons, commercial fire doors are considered a vital safety asset for the protection of your property and all who pass through it.

Commercial Fire Doors and Building Codes

In most jurisdictions, commercial fire doors are mandatory under municipal building codes, as well as International Building Code (IBC), which is a set of codes that establish the minimum safety standards for commercial construction. This means most commercial buildings are required to have compatible and functional fire door systems. In fact, state and federal law may require a commercial building to have more than one fire door or a specific number of fire doors.

It is important to check with your commercial general contractor regarding your buildings code standards and requirements. They can help you decide the best security systems and fire suppression features for your business. It is important to understand that not all fire doors are alike. Commercial fire doors with higher ratings are recommended, as these are designed with better fire resistance and smoke sealing technologies.

Do You Already Have a Commercial Fire Door System in Place?

If your business or commercial building is already fitted with commercial fire doors, it is important to have them inspected on an annual basis to ensure they are in top condition, both functionally and aesthetically. Small repairs should be resolved early on, before they can worsen or become a serious safety hazard. In fact, state and federal building codes require fire doors to be in perfect working condition at all times.

Are you looking for commercial general contractor to help you with your commercial fire door system in Indiana? Contact BAF Corporation at 317-253-0531 for qualified commercial door repair and replacement in Indianapolis, Indiana. We serve clients all throughout the state.

Advice on Consolidating Multiple Branch Locations into a Main Office

Posted on September 3, 2021 by bafcorp20

With all of the recent history happening within our local and global economies, many multi-branch businesses are choosing to restructure their business model into just one or to office locations. If you are an Indiana business owner considering multi-branch office consolidation, continue reading for some pertinent tips on the most important factors to consider prior to commencing the transition process.

Commercial Office Space Planning and Remodeling 317-253-0531

Moving Multi-Branch Offices into One or Two Locations

There are various benefits to shifting a multi-branch office system into one or two primary locations, especially for companies whose geographic influence has been significantly reduced. Right now, business owners are experiencing a massive under-utilization of office spaces all across the state of Indiana, invoking the urgency for improved efficiency and cost savings. The trending solution to this problem is multi-office branch transitioning.

What to Consider Before Office Location Consolidation

If you are considering consolidating your multiple office branches into one or two main office locations, there are a few factors and considerations to keep in mind before making any final decisions.

► Conduct a Branch Location Assessment – It is important to perform a comprehensive audit in order to confirm which office locations have the most unused space in which offices could take on more staff and operations. Consider any geographic impacts as well; if you have several office locations in one region and one isolated office location, it makes more sense to shut down the remote office location.

► Carefully Review Office Leases – Once you have finished your branch location audit, you will have a better idea of which offices you wish to close and which offices you wish to keep. For the offices you wish to close, it is important to carefully review the office lease in detail to understand your rights regarding early lease termination, exit clauses, and so forth. Although you may have to pay some fees to terminate your office lease, you gain more value and not wasting money on unused or underutilized space.

► Preemptively Merge and Integrate Office Cultures – When you are bringing employees from one office location to another, it is important to mindfully merge and integrate the contrasting cultures. Although your business is a singular company, your office branches may have different break times, dress codes, operational standards, traditions, clubs, and similar attributes that are unique to their location. Since not all offices are the same, you have a professional responsibility to ensure a smooth, comfortable, and fair transition for your staffs. Consider fabricating a uniform office policy that requires both new and existing staff to make modifications.

► Prepare For IT and Technical Trials – Your multiple office branch locations may also have differentiating IT programs and software systems, which may pose some challenges during the merge. Prepare for these trials ahead of time by making adjustments to office schedules and setting aside enough time for your IT and technical support teams to make all of the necessary modifications to your software programs.

Trust a professional for astute commercial office relocation advice and management in Indiana. Contact BAF Corporation at 317-253-0531 for seasoned commercial space planning and permitting in Indianapolis, Indiana. Whether you are relocating an existing business, or opening a new one, we are your all-inclusive solution to planning, design, and construction.

You Should Also Like:

Factors to Consider Before Signing a Commercial Office Lease
Advice for Selecting a New Office Location
How to Move Your Office From the City to the Suburbs