Buying business property

When you purchase a commercial property, you'll have to budget for a number of expenses such as:

• fees for the surveyor and solicitor and any other professional advisor required to complete the purchase of the property
• VAT (not in every case, and if you're registered for VAT you may be able to claim it back) and Stamp Duty Land Tax - see buying commercial property: concluding the sale
• fees for making searches or enquiries with the local council or Companies House or Land Registry fees
• alterations and fitting out the property for your business purposes

Ongoing property ownership costs

As a property owner, you will also need to consider the following ongoing costs:

• Business rates are based on what the property would rent for at a given date. Land and Property Services is responsible for these valuations. See how business rates are calculated.
• Commercial property insurance for your business premises.
• Property repairs, ongoing maintenance work and general upkeep.
• Running costs for the property - eg lighting, heating and charges for services like cleaning or security.
• Commercial mortgage payments - if you can't afford to purchase the property outright. See commercial mortgages and lenders. You'll need to assess carefully how much you can afford. Speak to your bank manager to find out how much the bank may lend and check what financial security this will require. See bank finance.
• Costs to make reasonable adjustments to improve disabled access to your business premises - see disabled access and facilities in business premises.

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

All sellers - or construction firms in the case of new buildings - are responsible for providing prospective buyers with an EPC with an energy rating. An EPC can give you a good indication of a building's energy efficiency and the likely energy costs. See EPCs for business properties.

Environmental performance of your business property

Air conditioning systems and boilers can have a significant effect on your overall energy bills. You can make considerable savings by keeping these well maintained and having them regularly inspected by a qualified engineer. See our case study on installing an efficient heating system - Marine Hotel (video).

Air conditioning inspection

You will need to check whether any air conditioning systems you have require an energy inspection. A valid energy assessment may already exist for any installed systems. Ask for this to be handed over by the seller. Air conditioning energy inspections are required at least every five years for equipment greater than 12kW.