Why Space Planning Should Happen Before You Sign a Lease

Most businesses choose office space on location, rent and floor area. Those are sensible starting points, but floor area alone tells you little about whether a unit will actually fit your team. Two units of the same size can hold very different numbers of people once columns, the building core, window lines and building rules are taken into account.

A test fit, sometimes called a space planning study, answers that question before you sign. This article explains what a test fit is, what it checks and the questions tenants ask us about it.

What a test fit is

A test fit is a quick layout of your requirements on a specific floor plan. It shows where teams, meeting rooms, reception, the pantry, storage and support spaces would go, and whether they fit at all. It is a check rather than a finished design. Its job is to tell you whether the unit works, what compromises it would force and roughly what the fit-out would involve.

When a client is choosing between two or three units, we test fit each one against the same brief so the comparison is fair.

Start with a proper brief

A test fit is only as good as the requirements behind it. Before drawing anything, we ask:

• How many people will use the office, and how many are in on a typical busy day?
• How do teams work? Which teams sit together, and which need privacy?
• How many meeting rooms of each size are needed, and how often are they used?
• What does the business need besides desks, such as a reception, storage, a server room, a showroom or a training room?
• How much growth should the space allow for over the lease term?

The last question matters most for the lease decision. A unit that fits today but can't absorb two years of hiring may cost more over the lease than a slightly larger one.

What the floor plan can hide

A floor plan shows area, but not how usable that area is. A test fit reveals:

• Column positions and spacing, which decide where rooms and rows of desks can go.
• The shape of the floor. Deep floor plates leave interior areas far from windows, and irregular shapes waste space.
• The position of the core, toilets and fire exits, which fix the main circulation routes.
• Ceiling height and the space above the ceiling, which limit what ceiling, lighting and air-conditioning changes are possible.
• Existing air-conditioning zones, sprinklers and power points, which affect the cost of adding rooms.
• Building rules on signage, working hours and nominated contractors.

None of this appears in a leasing brochure, and each point can change the layout or the cost.

Lettable area and usable area

The area in a lease is not always the area you can put furniture in. Depending on how the building measures it, the lettable area can include a share of common areas, or parts of the unit taken up by columns and service risers. A test fit works on the space you can actually use, which makes comparisons between buildings much more reliable.

Using the test fit in lease negotiations

Because a test fit shows what the fit-out will involve, it gives you something to negotiate with. If a unit needs extra air-conditioning, electrical upgrades or removal of the previous tenant's fit-out, raise those points with the landlord before signing. They can be handled as landlord's works, a longer rent-free fit-out period or a contribution to costs.

The test fit also helps you understand the reinstatement clause. If the lease requires the unit to be returned to bare condition at the end of the term, every wall you build is a wall you will pay to remove. Knowing the likely layout lets you estimate that exit cost now.

Common questions

When should I do a test fit?

Once you have a shortlist and before you sign a letter of offer. Doing it earlier wastes effort on units you won't pursue, and doing it after signing only tells you what you are committed to.

How long does a test fit take?

It is quick compared with full design, and it is meant to fit within a normal leasing timeline. The biggest factor is how quickly the brief comes together.

Do I need a test fit if I'm renewing my current lease?

It can still help. A renewal is a good time to check whether the current layout still suits how the business works, and whether reconfiguring the space could avoid a move.

Can the landlord's agent do the test fit?

Some agents provide basic layouts. An independent test fit is prepared for your business rather than to lease the unit, and it covers the fit-out implications as well as the furniture.

What if the test fit shows the unit doesn't work?

Then it has done its job. Finding out before signing costs very little. Finding out after signing can mean years of working around the wrong space.

In summary

• Floor area alone doesn't tell you whether a unit fits your business.
• A test fit maps your real requirements onto a specific floor plan before you commit.
• It reveals columns, floor shape, services and building rules that affect layout and cost.
• Use it to compare units on usable space and to negotiate fit-out terms with the landlord.
• Do it after shortlisting and before signing.

We treat the test fit as the first step of a design and build project, because the decisions made before a lease is signed shape everything after it.