If you are in the process of finding a warehouse to rent, you have a lot of details to think about and questions to ask. Renting distribution warehouse space is not like getting other commercial leases. Before you sign any lease for a commercial warehousing situation, these are some questions you need to have answered:

• Ask about theandnbsp;HVAC system. For most distribution warehouse spaces, there is no heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system that has been installed. When a company needs heating or air conditioning, most of the time, the company who is renting a warehouse will need to have that taken care of on their own. If you know you need this, ask about it. There are some spaces that have it. On the other hand, if the price is right, getting a cheaper space that works for you may make putting this system in can work with your budget. If there is a system in place, make sure you ask about who will be responsible for the maintenance.
• Ask about what will be taken care of by the landlord and what you will have to do yourself. There are a number of things that need to be taken care of when you are talking about distribution warehouse space. You have insurance, maintenance, taxes, trash pick up, and more. Make sure you know what expenses you will have to pay and what the landlord will cover. You will most likely have to pay for trash pick up but the landlord should be responsible for any repairs that need to be made on the roof, for example.
• Ask about the parking lot. If there is a parking lot, and for most distribution warehouse space, there is one, you need to know who will take care of maintaining it. You should push back if the landlord says this is the responsibility of the tenant as it really should be taken care of by the landlord.
• Ask about how they measure the square footage. Make sure you know how the square footage is measured. When you are renting a residential property, you want to know this for different reasons than when you are renting distribution warehouse space. When you are looking at the latter, the landlord has several ways to calculate the size of the space. Many, to be able to charge more, measure it by starting with the outside of the building while others will only measure the space that you can use. You want to make sure the space you are looking at measures only the usable space.
• Ask about the zoning. It is crucial that you know what the distribution warehouse space has been zoned for and that you comply with that. Sometimes, companies think they can rent warehouse space and then use it as a warehouse and a retail space. If the space is not zoned for both, you cannot use it for both.
• Ask about the capacity the building has for power. It is important that the distribution warehouse space has the capacity to handle your power needs. You may find that the landlord cannot answer your questions about this so you may have to bring in an electrician to check out the space and let you know if it will be able to handle what you need.
• Ask about the loading areas. Think about how your products will be delivered to the warehouse. Think about the size of the trucks that will be used to get items to your location. If you expect large, 18 wheel vehicles to bring your products to you, you need a space that can handle that. The loading spaces need to be big enough and offer enough space for the trucks to turn around. Make sure the space has the loading areas you need to receive the products that will be stored at your facility.
• Ask about your options to expand. If things go well for your business, you may need to expand the space you have. Ask if that will be an option. The landlord probably has a number of spaces. Ask if they have any nearby.

Asking about these issues can help you get the distribution warehouse space that works for you.