Choose how to reach potential occupiers.
Public advertising lets businesses and their advisers discover the property, but the advertised details are visible beyond the parties you choose. Decide what can be published and who will answer enquiries, arrange viewings and keep the information current.
An instructed commercial agent can advise on presentation and handle marketing or enquiries within the agreed instruction. Ask about fees, expenses, exclusivity, notice and how another party’s work would fit alongside it. A targeted approach starts with a particular occupier type and parties you agree to contact; it gives you more control over who receives the initial details, but its reach depends on the agreed list and responses. Publicly available contact details do not by themselves settle whether or how to make an approach.
For example, an owner already advertising a vacant shop through an agent might first check the appointment terms and agree who handles responses. The owner could then discuss a separate, agreed approach to a small number of businesses whose proposed use might fit the space. Another owner who needs to keep details private might choose a more limited initial approach instead. Neither choice guarantees an enquiry or a letting.
Make the property offer clear.
Describe the address, space offered, measured or estimated area, access, parking, services, condition and expected availability. Distinguish the whole building from the part available and explain any shared areas, existing occupation or works. Say which details are confirmed and which need checking.
Set out the asking rent and proposed lease length if known, together with known service charges, insurance and other costs. Explain the uses and operating arrangements you would consider, including opening hours, deliveries, fit-out or other changes. Ask your planning and legal advisers to check restrictions and proposed uses.
- Plans and measurements, with the source and any uncertainty.
- The current energy certificate and relevant marketing information, where required.
- Availability, access for viewings and the work proposed before handover.
- Existing instructions and a clear contact for responses.
Check energy requirements early.
In England and Wales, check whether an energy performance certificate is required for the building and what must be available when marketing it. The rules have exceptions; the official non-domestic guidance explains commissioning and marketing responsibilities.
A certificate for marketing and eligibility to let are separate questions. For a non-domestic private rented property within the minimum energy efficiency rules, check the rating, applicable requirements and any exemption with your energy assessor or solicitor before agreeing a letting.
Further reading: GOV.UK: non-domestic energy certificates · GOV.UK: non-domestic minimum energy efficiency guidance
Assess an enquiry before progressing it.
Ask what the business proposes to do, how much space it needs, its intended opening hours, fit-out, access and target date. A promising name is not enough if the use or works are incompatible with the property. Clarify which legal entity would take the lease and who is authorised to negotiate.
For a company, the Companies House register can help identify the entity and its filings. It is a starting point: Companies House states that it does not check the accuracy of filed information, and the register alone does not establish affordability. Discuss what checks and evidence are needed with your solicitor and other advisers, using a secure method agreed with them.
Further reading: Companies House: search the company register
Compare the whole offer.
Consider the proposed rent alongside the lease length, rent-free period, deposit or guarantee proposed, works and their cost, repair and reinstatement obligations, service charges, any break rights and the date the occupier can take possession. An offer with a higher headline rent may place different costs or risks on the owner.
Ask what is still conditional: for example, a survey, planning or other consent, funding, board approval or the lease itself. Record open points and decide which enquiries justify further discussion. Your solicitor can advise on the documents and obligations; a qualified valuer can advise on rent. For business premises in England and Wales, the RICS leasing code and heads-of-terms checklist are useful external reading, subject to their stated scope and exclusions.
Further reading: RICS: Code for leasing business premises · GOV.UK: renting business property and tenant responsibilities
Agree who will do what.
If another agent is already instructed, share the appointment and discuss how responsibilities and enquiries would be coordinated before adding work. Keep one record of approaches and responses so that you can decide what to pursue.
Rivermark can discuss the property, prepare a summary of available information and approach potential occupiers you agree. Work and fees are agreed in writing before work starts or anyone is contacted. Your appointed legal, planning, valuation and other specialists remain responsible for their advice.
Sources and further reading.
Sources checked 5 November 2026. Requirements vary across the UK and should be checked for the property and transaction.
- GOV.UK: non-domestic energy certificatesEngland and Wales: marketing and certificate guidance.
- GOV.UK: non-domestic minimum energy efficiency guidanceEngland and Wales: letting requirements and exemptions.
- Companies House: company registerA starting point for identifying a company and its filings.
- RICS: Code for leasing business premisesEngland and Wales: scope, heads of terms and leasing checklist.
- GOV.UK: tenant responsibilitiesOverview of responsibilities to consider in a business lease.