Don’t Forget: Phones and Internet Service

Don’t Forget: Phones and Internet Service

One thing very few people remember to take into account when they make the decision to move into a new office space is their phone number and internet service. For instance, my lease expires this year and as of now, I’m unsure as to whether we’ll move or renew. If we move, I would like to move the business closer to my home, but if we move more than 2 miles east of our current location, we’ll lose our phone number or we’ll be charged an additional amount until the end of time to keep it.

My phone number is very important to my business. It’s on every document we have ever sent out from our office – so this seemingly small detail will be a large part of our decision to move or not move. If you are particular about which internet service you want, be sure to ask every potential landlord what internet service they have in the building. The landlord may tell you that you can bring in whomever you want, but usually that’s not true. The landlord has to approve of the carriers in question, so chances are you might not be able to get the carrier you want.

In our case, the building we lease from is only 20,000 square feet with five or six tenants, so the cost to bring cable to the building would be $25,000. This means we weren’t able to get the internet provider we wanted. Or, if we were willing to pay that amount, we’d be looking at a hefty chunk of change to get our service provider in the building.

In short, if you’re looking to bring in a provider that the landlord doesn’t currently support, know that this could effect your monthly costs – so be on the lookout for this when you search for a new space!

About the Author

Lynn Drake’s status is well known in the industry: She’s the commercial realtor focused on maintaining “true north” for her corporate clients. It’s a reputation built on 35 years of commercial real estate experience. Lynn became a commercial realtor in 2001 after 15 years in corporate real estate. Thus far in her career, Lynn has successfully completed over 1,500 real estate transactions ranging from small business tenant leases to the sale and purchase of industrial complexes.