Pre-lease tenancy diagnostic
Tenancy Review and Diagnosis
Know the space works before
you sign the lease.
Many of the most expensive mistakes in a fitout are made before it starts, and they are easy to miss until the approvals and the build expose them.
Tenancy Review and Diagnosis shines a light on them before you sign, so they are dealt with on paper instead of on site. The report also gives you an evidence-based position to negotiate your lease. Delivered within ten business days.
The cost of missing it
The most expensive fitout mistakes are made before the fitout starts. We find them while they are still on paper.
In the approvals
- The wrong approval pathway, adding months before you can trade
- A change of use that triggers access and compliance upgrades
- Centre, strata or heritage controls on shopfront and signage
In the fitout
- Power, three-phase or HVAC upgrades hiding behind the walls
- New waste points on a slab, needing core-drilling and re-grading
- Equipment that cannot get in, fit or be serviced
In the lease
- Make-good obligations, including inherited fitouts
- Landlord contributions with conditions that quietly void them
- A lease term too short to recover the fitout investment
Each one is far cheaper to solve before the lease is signed than after the build has started.
Before you sign
Why It Matters
Most expensive surprises are locked in the day the lease is signed.
Catch the costly mistakes
Approval triggers, services upgrades and compliance gaps are easy to miss on a walk-through. We find them before they hit your budget or opening date.
No budget surprises
Services, access and make-good costs are surfaced early, so the fitout number you plan with is a real one.
Negotiate from evidence
The report doubles as a lease negotiation document. It shows exactly what the tenancy needs, so you can negotiate incentives, landlord works and make-good with facts.
A straight word on where we stand
We are not here to talk anyone out of a tenancy or pull a deal apart. Our job is to help you understand whether a space suits your business and what it would take to fit out. A business that knows the space works is the one most likely to sign, settle in and do well there. That is good for you, the landlord and the agent.
The checklist
Where The Risk Usually Sits
A short guide to 13 areas worth checking before you sign.
Our full diagnostic report goes much further, covering each area in detail against your specific site and how your business needs to operate.
Lease term vs fitout investment
Does the fitout still make sense over the years you can actually stay, including options, renewals and what happens if the landlord does not renew?
Make-good exposure
Do you know what the make-good clause will cost, or what an inherited fitout might commit you to at the end of the term?
Services capacity
Will the building support your business, or are there power, three-phase or HVAC upgrades hiding behind the walls?
Plumbing and hydraulics
Where are the wet points, and can they reach existing drainage? On a concrete slab, new waste points can mean core-drilling and re-grading.
Access and disability compliance
Entry steps, an accessible WC and door widths each carry cost. A change of use can trigger an upgrade, and the question is who pays.
Approval pathway
Which approval pathway does the tenancy fall under, what does it trigger, and how long before you can trade?
Customer flow
Will people move through the space the way the business needs, or will the shape of the tenancy fight the layout from day one?
Retail and trading performance
Will the space help the business trade, or just look the part? Visibility, browse time and flow are mostly decided before design starts.
Equipment access and installation
Can equipment get in, fit, operate, be serviced and come back out years from now? Big items decide more than people expect.
Landlord obligations and incentives
What is the landlord genuinely contributing, when is it paid, and what conditions could void it?
Shopfront and street presence
Where does the landlord scope end and yours begin? Glazing, doors, awnings and facade all carry cost, approval and centre or heritage controls.
Signage and visibility
Will customers find and recognise the business, or do centre or street signage rules already work against it?
Growth capacity
Will the tenancy still work if the business doubles, or is a move already baked in before the lease ends?
The process
How It Works
From first call to a confident decision in ten business days.
Get in touch
Send us the tenancy you are considering, or just a question, at hi@dbprojects.com.au or 1300 186 710.
30-minute brief call
We confirm the tenancy details, the business model, equipment and fitout needs, and the target opening date.
Site walk-through and review
We walk the space and review the tenancy guidelines and floor plan against what the business needs to operate.
Report and strategy session
Within ten business days you have a written report and a one-hour session with a clear view of what is realistic.
One team, all the way through
If the tenancy stacks up, the same team that assessed it can design and build it. Concept, FlowMap, documentation, approvals and construction, handled by people who already understand the space.
Deliverables
What You Receive
One site reviewed in ten business days, or up to three sites compared and ranked.
Written report
10 to 14 pages covering every risk category with site-specific findings.
Strategy session
60 minutes with David Cameron, in person or by video.
Landlord leverage notes
What is worth negotiating before you sign, and why.
Indicative build-cost band
A realistic price range to plan and negotiate with.
Site walk-through
Sydney metro, or pre-booked elsewhere in NSW.
Annotated floor plan
With tenancy guideline notes in the appendix.
Credited in full
If you proceed with a DB Projects design package, the fee is credited in full: 50% at design and planning, 50% at build.
We flag, we don't bind
Final BCA, certifier and legal sign-off stay with the right professionals. We inform the decision, we do not replace them.
Our design process
Where It Fits
Tenancy Review and Diagnosis
Confirm the tenancy can work for your business.
FlowMap
Test and refine the floor plan.
Concept Design
Develop the look, finishes and joinery on a layout that is already proven.
Documentation and Construction
Approvals, drawings and the build.
In their words
Businesses We've Helped
“DB Projects completed our office move smoothly and stress-free. There were some changes to the scope throughout, and the team adapted with no problem. Communication was good and they understood our needs.”
Hichame Assi
“We couldn’t be any happier with the work David and the team put into our new showroom. They were professional, on time, and always willing to go the extra mile.”
Rodney Grunzest
“The best choice you can make. David is always available for anything you might need and extremely reliable. Any problem you have, he’ll find a solution, and we had a few.”
Matteo Pochintesta
“DB Projects transformed a tired Optical, Dental and Physiotherapy centre into an open, modernised space. A comprehensive end-to-end solution. I highly recommend them.”
Gerald Chan
Why it matters
A lease tells you what the space costs. It doesn't tell you whether the space can become the business you're planning.
That is the question worth answering before you sign.
Considering a tenancy?
Send through the tenancy you’re considering, or just a question. We’ll come back within a couple of days.