Electrical checks before signing a commercial lease

CCT 01Describe the operation before assessing the space

Prepare an equipment schedule before requesting an electrical opinion. Include the actual machines, kitchen appliances, HVAC changes, chargers, lighting changes and office requirements. Mark confirmed purchases separately from possible future equipment. Record whether loads operate together and whether the business depends on uninterrupted service.

This turns “Is there enough power?” into a question the landlord, contractor and designer can investigate. A workshop with a compressor and production machines needs a different assessment from storage, even if both are described as industrial use. Likewise, a café replacing another café can still have a different electrical requirement.

If equipment is not selected, ask the designer to state its planning assumptions and the cost exposure if those assumptions change. Uncertainty belongs in the decision, not hidden in an optimistic allowance.

CCT 02Request evidence of the electrical provision

Ask the landlord for available distribution drawings, panel schedules, recent studies and written details of what the suite is entitled to use. Flag missing or outdated documents. The contractor's investigation should establish which records can be relied on and which details require site confirmation.

Do not ask unqualified staff to remove covers or test equipment to fill gaps. Safe external photos and existing records can support an initial review; intrusive investigation belongs to qualified professionals.

CCT 03Put the landlord and tenant work split in writing

The lease work letter should align with the electrical scope. Identify who pays for a service or transformer change, distribution repairs, tenant circuits, utility work and reinstatement. Ask a qualified lease adviser to resolve contractual obligations; the contractor should price an agreed boundary rather than interpret conflicting lease clauses.

Define what “power available” means in the deal. Is it an existing installation to be assessed, an allowance, or a specified landlord-delivered provision by a certain milestone? Identify dependencies and the evidence required to accept that provision. Calgary distinguishes base-building and tenant permit scopes.¹

Record access rights for routes crossing common areas or other suites. A technically feasible circuit can still be impractical if the route depends on approvals nobody has obtained.

CCT 04Test the opening date against the longest dependency

Ask the project team to list design, permits, utility review, equipment procurement, construction and commissioning separately. The shortest trade estimate does not determine the move-in date. If more utility capacity is needed, ENMAX's process begins with confirming feasibility.²

Set a decision date for unresolved capacity and equipment questions before purchasing machinery or committing to a public opening. Where a lease is being negotiated, discuss appropriate conditions with your adviser using the actual technical uncertainties. This guide does not prescribe contract terms.

A space that needs more investigation is not automatically a bad choice. The purpose is to understand the cost, schedule and responsibility before comparing it with another unit.

CCT 05Keep one decision file for the deal

Collect the equipment schedule, electrical assessment, landlord commitments, marked plan and budget assumptions in one file. Date the versions. When equipment or layout changes, have the assessment updated rather than forwarding a new product sheet without context.

For two candidate spaces, compare the same business requirements: confirmed electrical work, unresolved allowances, disruption, time to opening and expansion constraints. A lower rent can be outweighed by work needed to make the operation viable, but that should be evaluated from project-specific evidence rather than a generic construction rate.

Use the project budget guide to turn the findings into a structured pricing request. For a workshop, continue with the industrial bay fit-out checklist.