TV, FILM & MEDIA
If you are in the Film, TV Production or media worlds read on.
Although this site is aimed mainly at the charity sector, many suggestions are good for the SME sector in general, especially for Film, TV & Media companies.
Why?
Because the Film, TV & Media sectors need FLEXIBILITY not a long fixed lease .
There are three or probably now four ways to have offices. The fourth (and newest) way is to work from home. For the first time this is a viable option. Broadband and cloud based servers are easier to set up than ever before. The FOUR go like this:
Take a conventional office on a 3 or 5 year lease
Take a smaller conventional office and a satellite serviced space with meting rooms
Have a serviced office in town and most of your workers / freelancers at home
Work from home and use meeting rooms in town when you need them
I have helped 20 media companies and charities move offices or renew their leases in the last 10 years. Moving offices is something I know a lot about.
The common themes are FLEXIBILITY and LOW COST.
Flexibility
Flexibility is nowadays much easier to achieve. Landlords EXPECT to give break clauses and they EXPECT to allow rent free periods. In 2020 and with some expert help there are companies getting long rent free periods just because they ask for them.
If this the 2nd time you have moved offices you will remember the horror of trying to connect up new fibre lines. You are right it is a horror.
The reason it’s so hard is twofold:
The fibre network is controlled by a few very large and inflexible companies
UK legislation has made Landlords run scared from allowing the telecomms giants to install fibre cables into their buildings in case they refuse ever to take them out again.
If you want to know more about Wayleaves for fibre installations feel free to ring me.
Cost control
It sounds obvious, but if you can prepare a realsitic move cost Excel sheet you have cracked the first nut.
The commonest omissions are legal costs for Wayleaves, lease overlap periods, dilapidations costs, professional fees and Stamp Duty Land Tax. I use very detailed budgeting sheets when I am working with clients and they can be very helpful.
Common problems sheet
Rather than repeating things you have already read and half absorbed CLICK HERE to download a list of common problems with office leases. It’s a good first step to building a budget.
Neville Forrest MRICS
Specialist in offices for charities, media and health companies