Surviving A Winter Commercial Renovation & Tenant Improvement Project

Have clear and realistic expectations. Your tenant association should be at the ready with information about what to expect, when, and for how long. Once a board has a solid idea of what they can spend, then a designer will be able to step in to put the specific design choices into the picture.

Residents need to be a part of the process. No one who lives in a building where major renovation is going on should feel locked out of negotiations. After all, this is part of what you pay rent for. Residents should know from start to finish just what is going on. This gives tenants an opportunity to give constructive criticism. If your group is a large one, understand that there will never be total consensus, but comments should all be addressed and utilized if possible.

Always know who is paying for what. Will the improvements be overall, or will they be done on a turn-key basis - that is, when new tenants come into already vacant units? There are many different ways for tenant improvements and commercial renovations to go forward. Sometimes they can be complicated and difficult. That's why experts are needed to ensure that everyone stays on the same page, and is fully satisfied when construction is complete. Always get your construction and design teams involved from the beginning for best success.

Keep in mind that as a tenant there are other people going through what you're experiencing. So, stay positive, and it will be over sooner rather than later.