What to check before renting an industrial or logistics warehouse

1. Location and access

Check real travel times to your customers and suppliers, motorway access, and whether lorries can arrive without going through town centres. In Catalonia, the AP-7, A-2 and C-32 corridors drive much of the demand.

2. Clear height

This is the distance from the floor to the lowest element of the roof structure: beams, lighting or services. It determines how many racking levels you can install. Always ask for the measured figure, not the ridge height.

3. Docks, doors and yard

Count the loading docks and level-access doors, and check whether they have dock levellers and shelters. Look at the yard too: an articulated lorry is about 16.5 m long and needs enough room to manoeuvre and wait without blocking the street.

4. Floor slab

The floor must bear the loads of your racking and forklifts. Ask about its load capacity and look for cracks or uneven areas, especially if you plan to use high racking.

5. Power supply

Check the contracted power and what the installation can take. Upgrading it can take time and be costly if your operation uses machinery or refrigeration.

6. Fire protection

Industrial buildings in Spain are governed by the Fire Safety Regulation for Industrial Establishments. The risk level the building is designed for (low, medium or high) and whether it has sprinklers determine which goods, and how much, you can store.

7. Planning and activity licence

Before signing, confirm with the town council that your activity is permitted on that plot and which licence or prior notification you need. Leaving this until the end is one of the most common causes of delays.

8. Offices, changing rooms and parking

Consider whether the existing offices suit you, whether there are staff changing rooms and enough parking for employees and visitors.

9. The lease

Review the term and any mandatory minimum period, rent indexation, possible rent-free months, who pays for fit-out works and what guarantees are required. Our legal department, specialised in logistics, goes through these points with you before you sign.