There are many factors should be considered when a foreign business want to find an office in China. Before hunting for commercial property to lease, it's essential to develop a checklist of elements vital to selecting the "right" office space for you and your business.
Space Considerations
You should determine the overall amount and different kinds (or subsets) of space you'll need. For example, private offices range from 120-200 square feet, workstations 36-80 square feet, file areas 12 square feet, reception areas (with seating) 350 square feet and conference rooms (seating 10-12 people) 200-375 square feet.
If you are leasing a store, you may want to consider the size of your inventory, as well as the size of your displays and dressing rooms. No matter what business you are in, you'll probably also need storage and closet areas, a bathroom, maybe a fax-mailing room, or even a kitchen.
Affordability
Prices for commercial facilities are based on cost per square foot. These costs vary widely, depending on a building's location/neighborhood, whether it is located in a metropolitan or less populated area, its appearance inside and out, and property value.
Additionally, many downtown urban areas now offer incentive programs providing substantial discounts to businesses that lease within a certain geographic zone.
When deciding if you can afford to lease a space, determine the total amount it will cost you to move in and to maintain your lease plus the amount of money it will take to renovate the space so that it will meet your needs.
Required Ambience
Sometimes, a particular business requires a certain kind of ambience. For example, if you are a leading edge design firm, you need to be in an office space that promotes that image or in a space that you can design so that it promotes that concept.
This is where basic ingredients of the space you need must be analyzed. For example, these can include the amount of natural light, number of corner offices with views, the type and color of carpeting (unless you are willing to replace), what the building's foyer and exterior looks like, how well the building is maintained, whether interior walls or other architectural elements need to be torn down or put in, etc. Naturally, these variables - or lack thereof - will influence your overall cost.
Subletting
Because many landlords charge a hefty security deposit - especially to young companies who haven't yet proven themselves - sometimes it's far more cost-effective to sublet space.
A business owner can sublet in one of two ways: taking over part of an existing office (usually one or more private offices) and sharing facilities (like the reception area, kitchen, conference room, Xerox machine, bathroom, etc.) with another business. The other way a business owner can sub-lease is to sublet an entire space from a business that has moved to another floor or building (or out of the area entirely). Not only will you relieve yourself of the responsibility of a security deposit, but you may see a substantial difference in your rent.
Finally, office furnishings and key architectural elements are often included as part of a sub-lease, which can be another cost -saving benefit.
Essential "External" Elements
Every business requires certain external elements in terms of location in order to succeed. For example, does your storefront business depend on foot traffic? Do you need to be located near public transportation? Do you need to be able to provide ample parking? What kind of parking do you need for yourself and clients?
Is your clientele the type who will only be comfortable in a certain area of town? Is an alarm system or upstairs location a must-have? What about zoning and land use restrictions? Do you need a building that is already wired for computers and the Internet?
Sometimes, you can acquire elements from the exiting tenant who may want to sell existing network wiring, an alarm, phone system, furniture, or more.
