Space type
Industrial and warehouse space
Industrial space in Metro Vancouver is tight, so the details get decided fast. I help tenants check the specs that matter before they commit. Check clear height, loading doors, power, zoning for your use and the environmental clauses in the lease before you sign anything.
General information, not tax or legal advice. Rules and rates change, and every situation is different. Talk to your lawyer and accountant before you act on anything here.
Specs to check on every space
- Clear height to the underside of the lowest beam or sprinkler, not the roof.
- Loading: dock doors, grade doors, door sizes, truck court and turning room.
- Power: amps and voltage, three-phase or not. Upgrades are slow and expensive.
- Sprinklers and the storage heights they allow.
- Office component: how much office is built in, and whether you pay for more than you need.
- Zoning for your use, plus outdoor storage, hazardous materials and hours.
- Floor load and slab condition for racking or heavy equipment.
Areas
Vancouver’s False Creek Flats and the port lands, Burnaby including Big Bend, Richmond and the airport area, and North Vancouver. See areas.
Lease points
Industrial leases are usually net, with the tenant carrying more of the building’s costs. Watch for roof and structural repair obligations, restoration at the end of the lease (racking, anchors, wiring), environmental clauses for your use, and renewal options, because moving a warehouse is expensive.
More detail for industrial tenants
- Triple net is standard. Budget for property tax, insurance and maintenance on top of base rent.
- Environmental clauses. You may be responsible for contamination during your tenancy. Record the condition at the start, and read the clause with your lawyer.
- Power and sprinklers. Check the service in amps and voltage, and that the sprinkler system suits what you store and how high you rack it.
- Permits. Racking, mezzanines and new loading doors often need a building permit.
- Zoning. In Vancouver, check the Vancouver zoning map for your use, including any outdoor storage.
- Assessment class. Manufacturing use can change a property’s BC Assessment class, which affects the property tax you pay as additional rent. See BC Assessment property classes.
How industrial space is measured and checked
- Clear height runs from the floor to the lowest part of the ceiling structure. If sprinkler heads hang lower, measure to the sprinkler heads. Your racking has to fit under that number.
- Floor loading is rated in pounds per square foot. If you run heavy machinery or high racking, know your requirement and confirm the building meets it before going further.
- Measurement. Industrial space is usually measured from the outside walls with no load factor, and shared costs are split by area. Ask how yard and exterior costs are shared and what they’ve run in past years.
- An environmental baseline. If your business uses chemicals, oils or anything that could stain soil, consider an environmental report at the start of the lease and again at the end. It’s your record that the contamination, if any, was there before you.
Build-to-suit for larger users
If nothing on the market fits your specs, a developer can build to them, and you take a long-term lease on the finished building, or buy it. It takes longer than leasing existing space and needs a long commitment, but you get the clear height, power, doors and yard you actually need. Start early, because design, permits and construction run on their own timeline.
Before you tour, read the touring checklist. Before you sign, see tenant improvements and commercial lease rules in BC.
Types of industrial
Which kind of industrial space suits you?
Match the building to the use. Ceiling height, doors and power vary a lot by type.
Small units, 1,000 to 5,000 sf
Good forSmall businesses and trades. Often strata, which is very common in Metro Vancouver. Usually 12 to 14 ft ceilings and grade-level doors.
Watch forMore office per unit, so more parking needed and a higher rent or price per square foot. Little or no yard.
Mid-size, 5,000 to 20,000 sf
Good forMore warehouse than office, dock and grade doors, longer leases. Usually 16 to 18 ft ceilings.
Watch forTruck turning room. Ask for an open ceiling over the offices if you may add a mezzanine.
Large high-cube, 20,000 sf and up
Good forDistribution with lots of docks. New buildings often have 30 ft or more of clear height.
Watch forOlder high-cube space, often 23 to 25 ft, may not suit modern racking.
Service and repair
Good forAuto, equipment and repair users, often clustered near the airport in Richmond.
Watch forDrainage, power and zoning for your specific use.
Specialized
Good forCold storage, food processing, auto body and other uses with special needs.
Watch forEach use has its own power, drain, floor and permit needs. Confirm them first.
Owner-built manufacturing
Good forUsers in the same industry who need heavy power, water and foundations.
Watch forHard to reuse. For anyone outside that industry it often means a major redo.
Construction
Construction types and what they mean
Steel frame
Good forWide clear spans, up to about 140 ft.
Watch forNeeds insulation, can be noisy, and usually only the front is finished.
Masonry
Good forFire-resistant, attractive and low-maintenance.
Watch forCostly to build and limited in height unless steel-framed.
Concrete tilt-up
Good forThe most common type today: fast, quiet, fire-resistant and well insulated.
Watch forOlder tilt-ups need a structural check for earthquakes, which matters here.
Checklist
What to check on an industrial space
Size and structure
- Clear height to the lowest obstruction, and column spacing
- Floor slab thickness and load rating
- Freight elevator size and capacity, if multi-storey
Doors and trucks
- Dock-height, tailboard and grade-level doors, by count
- Truck parking, loading and turning room
- Staff parking for your headcount
Services
- Amps and volts at the main panel, confirmed by an electrician
- Lighting and exterior security lighting
- Heat in the warehouse, and HVAC if staff work out there
Fire protection
- Standpipe only, or wet or dry sprinklers
- Sprinklers suited to your stock and racking height
Water and drains
- Floor drains: how many, where, and where they drain to
- Cooler or freezer size and temperature range
Location
- Access to Highways 1, 91 and 99, the South Fraser Perimeter Road, the port and YVR
- An aerial and a site map
What to look out for
Industrial red flags
Process drains to the storm sewer
Process water can’t go to the storm system. Ask where every floor drain goes.
Warehouse power for a manufacturing use
Warehouse service is often too low for assembly or production. Price the upgrade before you sign.
Office expanding into the warehouse
Warehouse sprinkler heads aren’t automatically right for office use.
An older tilt-up with no seismic review
Ask for a structural engineer’s view before you commit.
A single-tenant building split into units
Common areas, shared charges and management all change. Ask how costs are divided.
Stock that changes the sprinkler rules
Wood or paper stock can need sprinklers even in small units.
What should I gather, ask and watch for?
Documents to gather
- Ceiling height, loading and power you need
- Racking and storage plan
- Truck and parking needs
- Any hazardous materials or special permits
Questions to ask
- What is the clear height, and how many dock or grade doors?
- How much power, and is it three-phase?
- What does the lease say about environmental responsibility?
- Who pays for racking permits and installation?
Common mistakes
- Not checking power before signing
- Forgetting environmental clauses
- Leasing too little clear height for racking
- Assuming your use is allowed under the zoning
Typical timeline
- 9 to 12 months beforeRequirements and search; industrial supply is tight
- 6 to 9 monthsProposals and offer
- 3 to 6 monthsRacking, power, permits
- Last monthMove equipment and inventory
Typical ranges. Your lease, lender and the City set the real dates.
Go deeper
If you’re looking for more details
Industrial specs to ask about
- Clear height: usable height under the lowest beam or sprinkler
- Loading: dock-level doors, grade-level doors, and their size
- Power: amps and voltage, and whether three-phase is available
- Floor load if you have heavy equipment or racking
- Yard and parking for trucks and staff
- Sprinklers and fire rating for what you store
- Zoning for your use, including any outdoor storage
Industrial lease costs
Most industrial leases are net, so you pay base rent plus your share of property tax, insurance and operating costs. Property tax can be a big part of it in Metro Vancouver. Ask for the actual numbers from last year.
Common mistakes
- Not checking power and clear height before signing.
- Forgetting racking permits and sprinkler upgrades.
- Missing the environmental terms: what you have to clean up when you leave.
Run the numbers
- Space size estimatorA rough answer: most offices need 150 to 250 usable square feet per person, restaurants 30 to 40 per seat including the kitchen, and warehouses 25 to 35 per floor pallet position.
- Total occupancy costThe advertised rent is only part of what a commercial space costs.
- Office and store moving checklistA typical commercial move takes 6 to 12 months from first search to moving day, longer with a build-out or permits.
Search
Not quite your situation? Search
Next step
Tell me what’s going on with your space.
Fifteen minutes is usually enough to work out what you should do first. If I’m not the right person for it, I’ll tell you and point you to someone who is.