Recently a question posed by a business owner makes you think about what situations your business might be in and what you could do to solve them.
A retail business has a lease for 18 months, but the office location was determined to have asbestos. Asbestos is not safe for employees, especially if it is exposed asbestos. What could you do with an office like this when you still have a lease? The company asking the question is renting in the UK where asbestos is still prevalent. It also knows the landlord has other properties of newer construction that it might be able to negotiate for.
When it comes to an office move, you always need to look out for unsafe conditions so that you do not find yourself in a situation like this small business. Ask the question about asbestos and being able to move. In the US asbestos has largely been removed in an effort to make areas safer; however, there are still some places with asbestos and other rental spaces that could be a danger.
An office move is harder when there is still a long time on your lease. If for some reason you need business relocation, you may find the laws are against you. Landlords of any building have a duty to ensure proper safety of the structure, but this does not mean that they will end a lease when trouble is found. Instead, they could demand that you finish out your lease, even with business relocation, while they fix the building.
Jon Huser
