How Do I Measure Office Space

As many of you know, if you are a tenant searching for office space, it can be very frustrating when brokers quote rentable square footage which is true square footage of the office space PLJUS a proportionate share of the common areas in the building, such as the lobby and the hallways. Tenants want to know exactly how much space they possess within the office space. They want to know the usable square footage rather than the rentable square footage. (Read our Rentable Vs Usable Square Footage Article)

Rather than calculating formulas with quoted percentages which are inaccurate, I advise the tenant to manually measure his or her space. You may be thinking, "On my God, are you telling me that every time I walk into an office space, I have to use a tape measure?" However, the truth is that you can measure your space easily and quickly with a laser distance measurer.

Place the device against the wall and it utilizes a laser beam in order to determine the exact measurement of the unit from wall to wall. No need for a tape measure. Repeat the process in order to gain a measurement of both the length and width of the space.

There are many different laser distance measurers on the market that average anywhere from $30.00 to $600.00. As a tenant, you don't need to buy a top of the line measurer. The one that I use is a Bosch DLR130. It costs about $130.00 but you can probably find a more cost effective one that works well for your basic needs.

I highly suggest this type of product for any tenant searching for office space. It's a lifesaver.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call or email me. Thank you and have a great day!