In this article 7 topics
Creating agreed house rules for a building's occupants is one of the most important parts of shared life for office tenants and in commercial complexes, and it largely determines how harmonious, pleasant and comfortable the building will be for everyone. Office building management starts first of all with drawing up agreed house rules, or a procedures manual, that covers a few important points worth including among its clauses. There are countless details, big and small, that should go into it, and today we will touch on the essentials. Grab a pen and paper and let's get started!
Building operating hours
When does a tower go to sleep? You decide! As part of the house rules, it is a good idea to define the office tower's operating hours. This matters both operationally and from a management perspective. Operationally, you should know which systems need to run when. Some systems need to run during operating hours, when the building is active and occupied, and some must keep running after hours as well. On the other hand, there are systems whose use is worth cutting back when the tower is not active, which saves a great deal of money and unnecessary wear.
From a management perspective, it is important to know when the building is active in order to manage all aspects of maintaining commercial properties, such as cleaning, guarding and security, and other aspects that contribute to the proper functioning of the tower and its tenants.
House rules for a retail and food complex? Doubly important
Some offices do not see much foot traffic beyond the employees themselves. Other complexes, such as retail, service or food complexes, have very heavy pedestrian traffic, and naturally, because of the activity that takes place there, the risk is higher and enforcement must be regulated accordingly. For example, in areas where food is sold and prepared, it is important to state in the house rules that tenants must thoroughly wash the seating areas within their space using a degreaser. This is no trivial clause. It is very important, especially in an open-air complex with no roof (because of the anti-slip paving standard), where removing grease is much more complicated and the surface is ten times more prone to slipping.
Warnings and fines (give the rules teeth)
When everyone knows what is expected of them, life is much simpler and more pleasant for all the occupants. But what happens when one of the tenants misbehaves? In that case, it is important that they know what fines may be imposed on them, and you must spell this out in the house rules. You cannot issue warnings and impose fines without specifying exactly what counts as a violation and what the corresponding sanction looks like. You can decide what counts as a flagrant violation of the house rules and what will only result in a warning, with a fine issued after several warnings.
Smoking areas
Is smoking allowed in all the open areas of the building, or is there a designated area for it? Do you also want to allocate a specific smoking area within the open spaces, or is this not enforced? Defining smoking areas is another important clause to include in the shared house rules. You do not want to be fined for improper smoking in public spaces, and you do not want the building's users to suffer as a result. Make sure every tenant knows exactly where the designated smoking areas in the building are.
Pets
Are pets allowed in the office space? Can anyone bring their pet into the complex? Can a pet shop open in the complex? In a residential building, is there a maximum number of pets each resident may keep? These details can and should also be part of the shared house rules, especially if some occupants are sensitive to noise or find it a nuisance. This does not, of course, refer to guide dogs.
Storage in shared spaces
In buildings with a storeroom or spaces shared by all the tenants, the question often comes up: who is allowed to store things there, and what exactly? How is the space divided among the tenants? Are there things that may not be stored in these spaces? All of these details should be spelled out in full in the shared house rules. Even if it seems unnecessary at first glance, and even if everyone already lives in harmony, this is very important. You do not want disagreements on these issues.
Vandalism
One of the tenants deliberately damages the building and causes harm. What happens from here? If clauses dealing with vandalism of shared property are part of the house rules, you will know exactly. Of course, occupants who behave improperly can be fined, but this must be part of an agreed procedures manual that sets out exactly what to do in the event of various violations.
For all of the above, it is a good idea to work with office building management companies
that have extensive experience in drawing up agreed house rules and applying them on an ongoing basis, to the satisfaction of all the building's occupants.
