Before You Sign The Lease

Most small business owners spend weeks — sometimes months — searching for the perfect space. They imagine their customers walking through the door, picture where the signage will go, and start making plans before anyone has asked a single question about zoning, inspections, or what it actually takes to legally open in that building. By the time they find out the space doesn’t meet code, or the zoning doesn’t allow their business type, or the Certificate of Occupancy process will take three months, they’ve already committed.

Before You Sign The Lease is designed to prevent that. This workshop walks small business owners through the critical steps that should happen before a lease ever gets signed — the questions to ask, the offices to contact, and the process to understand so that when you find the right space, you’re ready to move forward without costly surprises.

Led by City of Montgomery Inspections Chief Pat McGilberry, the session covers three core areas:

• ZONING — What it is, why it matters, and how to verify that your intended use is permitted at a given location before you invest time and money into a space. Not every business can operate in every zone — and finding out after you’ve signed is a problem SBOSS is helping you avoid.
• INSPECTIONS — What a pre-lease inspection looks at, what business owners should be looking for themselves before they sign off on a space, and what condition a property needs to be in before it’s ready for occupancy. This is the part of the process most first-time commercial tenants skip entirely.
• CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY — The step-by-step process for obtaining your CO in Montgomery: what it requires, what triggers a new CO requirement, how long the process typically takes, and what happens if you try to open without one.

We may also touch on lease negotiation basics — understanding what terms are actually negotiable and what to ask for before you put pen to paper.

If you are actively looking for a space, preparing to sign a lease, or planning ahead for a future location, this workshop is the foundation. Come with your questions. Leave with a clear picture of exactly what to do before you commit.

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