Office Fit-Up in Winnipeg: Planning Around Your Lease

A fit-up, also called tenant or leasehold improvements, is the work that turns a leased space into your office: walls, doors, lighting, power and data, finishes and sometimes mechanical changes. The construction is only part of the timeline. The lease decides who pays and what you may build, and the City decides when people can work there. Our office renovation services page covers the build; this guide covers the planning around it.

What should you settle with the landlord before signing?

Get the landlord's consent to your plans, confirm the lease allows future changes, and find out what the landlord will contribute: a tenant improvement allowance, rent-free months or work done by the landlord. Also confirm which improvements stay with the building when you leave, because attached improvements usually do unless the lease says otherwise.

Definitions summarized from BDC's guide to commercial leasing terms. Have a commercial real estate lawyer review the lease.

BDC also suggests confirming that the building can structurally support your work and equipment. On the City side, the permit application needs a letter of authorization from the building owner or property manager for your intended use, so landlord sign-off is part of the permit, not just the lease.

Does an office fit-up need a building permit in Winnipeg?

Usually, yes. Interior alterations in a commercial building go through a City building permit using the Commercial Alteration Design Summary (CADS) form, with electrical and mechanical permits taken out by licensed contractors. Significant work on exits, public corridors or fire separations in a Part 3 building, significant sprinkler or fire alarm changes and any structural change need sealed drawings.

Office projects have a few specifics. In a multi-tenant building, the form asks for your neighbouring tenants because fire separation requirements depend on their uses. Tenant fit-ups in new Part 3 buildings need a Manitoba Energy Code for Buildings declaration. Projects exempt from a development permit file a declaration instead; otherwise the development permit can be reviewed before or alongside the building permit.

For simpler fit-ups, the architectural drawings do not have to come from an architect. The City asks for someone who can show the scope clearly and professionally: a key plan of where your unit sits, and a scaled floor plan with dimensions, labelled rooms and walls marked existing, new or demolished.

When can your team move in?

Only once the City issues an interim or final occupancy permit, where one is required. The City's occupancy bulletin lists installing loose equipment such as computers, printers and copiers, training staff and meeting clients as occupying a space. Construction and the delivery and installation of furniture such as desks, workstations and cubicle partitions are allowed earlier, but storing personal belongings is not, so plan IT set-up and move day around the permit.

Before you can request occupancy, the City's progress inspections must be complete to the final stage, and any architect or engineer involved must submit their professional certifications. The permit applicant requests the inspections, so build inspection dates into the schedule rather than treating the last week as finishing time.

Ask your lawyer about lease conditions and your contractor for a schedule with the written quote.

Can an office be renovated while people keep working?

Often, if the work is phased and noisy tasks are scheduled carefully. Evening and weekend work keeps daytime disruption down, but within 150 metres of a home the City limits loud construction to 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends and holidays. Building rules set by your landlord also apply.

Ask the property manager about elevator bookings, after-hours access and restricted tasks. If clients visit and an accessible entrance or washroom will be out of use, Manitoba's Accessible Customer Service Standard requires you to let the public know when and why. Bridgeland Builders schedules commercial work in the evenings and on weekends where it helps and sends a progress update every week. More on staying open is in our guide to preparing your business for a major renovation.

What should an office fit-up budget include?

More than construction. Include design and any engineering fees, permit fees, the build itself, furniture, IT and phone systems, moving costs, any rent you pay before you can occupy, and a contingency. BDC recommends setting aside a contingency fund and leaving buffer room in your timeline, because renovations often run over budget and past deadline.

If you need to borrow, our guide to commercial renovation financing in Manitoba compares term loans, leasehold improvement loans and landlord allowances. For a first number, try the instant renovation estimate; the free written quote after an on-site visit is the figure to plan around.

Questions to ask at the on-site visit

• Can the layout reuse existing walls, doors, ceilings and lighting?
• Will any work touch exits, corridors, fire separations or sprinklers?
• Which tasks need after-hours scheduling under the building's rules?
• What has to be finished before we can request occupancy, and when is that realistic?

Next step: Book a free on-site visit. We will walk the space with you, talk through your lease dates and follow up with a free written quote. Bridgeland Builders renovates offices across Winnipeg and nearby communities; see our full range of commercial renovation services.