What should you ask before appointing a commercial property adviser?

Who will this adviser actually be working for?

Ask whether the business holds landlord instructions alongside tenant ones, as most in this market do. This means the advisor's intelligence is used on both sides, and its key commercial relationships may sit opposite you in a negotiation.

A tenant-only adviser holds no landlord instructions at all, a structural position you can verify before appointing. Spacepoint has represented occupiers exclusively since it was founded.

Ask whether the business is RICS-regulated. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors independently regulates chartered surveyors in the UK, so any valuation, market assessment or lease recommendation is accountable beyond the business itself. On commitments of five to fifteen years, that matters.

Do all advisers see the same properties?

On the published market, largely yes. Every London property business can use the major listing platforms.

The difference is what never reaches a listing. A substantial share of London office space is let off-market, matched between landlords, operators and advisers already in conversation. Access depends on how active a business is in that market.

It also lies in what is known about listed buildings: which landlords negotiate fairly, what is planned nearby, and where a service charge history needs a closer look. None of that appears in a brochure.

How do I know whether my budget is realistic?

Benchmark it against what comparable occupiers have recently agreed in your target locations and building grades. A budget anchored to current rent or a board-level target is a fair starting point, but often some distance from what the market will deliver.

That gap usually surfaces during viewings, when time and expectations are already committed. A market briefing at the outset resolves it early, confirming the figure or showing what needs to move: specification, location, lease length or timing.

What costs do businesses tend to miss?

Headline rent is rarely the full picture of occupancy cost.

Business rates vary considerably by location. Service charge is often treated as fixed when it is variable and negotiable. Dilapidations liability builds through the term and often lands as an unexpected sum at the end. With a sub-let, repair and maintenance obligations can transfer in ways not obvious from the heads of terms.

All of these can be established in advance, provided someone has the expertise to raise them early.

Who will be handling the work?

Ask directly, because in larger businesses the people at the pitch are not always the people who run the search.

At Spacepoint, every search is led by one of our two directors, from taking the brief through lease negotiation to completion. A negotiating position is stronger when held by someone who understands why every element of the brief was set.

What happens after the lease is signed?

Completion ends a transaction, not a property relationship.

Break clauses require decisions, rent reviews require evidence, and renewals require a current read of the market. An adviser who already knows your business is far more useful at these lease events than one starting from scratch, especially in the six to twelve months beforehand.

If you're considering appointing an adviser and want direct answers to any of the above, we are happy to have that conversation.