The five things tenants check before booking a viewing. And how to pass every check

The viewing isn't where the decision starts

Most landlords think of the viewing as the key moment - the opportunity to impress, to answer questions, to close the deal. And it matters. But the viewing is already the second half of the process.

The first half happens without you. Before a prospective tenant books a viewing, they're doing their own research. They're checking listings, looking at the building online, assessing the location, and running through a mental checklist of requirements. If your building doesn't pass that checklist, they won't book the viewing. You'll never know they were interested.

Understanding what's on that checklist, and making sure your building can answer every question on it, is one of the highest-leverage things a landlord can do in the current market.

Here are the five filters that matter most.

1. Location and daily practicality

Tenants start with the basics: can our people actually get here? This isn't just a map question, it's a daily commute reality check. How close is it to tube or train stations? Is there parking? Are there lunch options nearby? Is the area safe and pleasant to be in?

This filter is one landlords have the least control over - the location is the location. But how you communicate it matters enormously. Many landlords undersell their location by not explicitly stating walking times to stations, nearby amenities, and transport links. Make the answer easy to find in your listing.

2. Space and configuration

Does the space actually work for how we operate? This has become more nuanced since hybrid working changed what offices are for. Tenants aren't just asking about headcount capacity — they're thinking about collaboration spaces, quiet zones, meeting rooms, and whether the building can support flexible working patterns.

A raw square footage figure doesn't answer this. Floor plans with suggested layouts, stated meeting room capacity, and photography that shows the space at its best are what move this filter from a question to a yes.

3. Commercial terms and flexibility

Can we afford this, and can we commit to it without taking on unreasonable risk? In an environment where hybrid working has made headcount harder to predict, lease flexibility matters as much as headline rent. Tenants are actively seeking break clauses, shorter initial terms, and clarity on what total occupancy cost actually looks like (rent plus service charge plus rates).

Buildings that offer genuine flexibility, not as a last resort but as a standard part of their offer, tend to attract faster decisions.

4. Building quality and ESG credentials

Does this building reflect who we are as a company? This has become a meaningful filter for many businesses, particularly those with ESG reporting obligations or with employees who care about the environment and workplace quality. EPC ratings, building certifications, wellbeing facilities, and the general quality of shared spaces all contribute.

This filter is increasingly acting as a non-negotiable, not a preference, for corporate tenants who have internal sustainability targets that make certain buildings incompatible with their policies.

5. Connectivity - and this is the one most landlords miss

Can we be operational from day one? This is the filter that catches the most buildings out, and the one most landlords have never thought to actively address.

Before committing to office space, businesses want to know they can move in and trade immediately. For any modern business, that means fast, reliable internet that's already there - not something they arrange, wait weeks for, and project-manage during the most disruptive period of their business calendar.

If your building can't clearly demonstrate that high-speed connectivity is pre-installed and available on move-in day, a significant proportion of prospective tenants will cross it off their list. Without a viewing. Without feedback. Without your agent ever knowing they were considered.

How to make sure your building passes all five

Filters one to four are about honest presentation, competitive pricing, and maintaining the building well. Most landlords manage these reasonably well even in a tough market.

Filter five - connectivity - is the one that requires a specific, structural response. The answer isn't better photography or a more convincing agent pitch. The answer is pre-installed fibre: gigabit connectivity installed and ready to use before any tenant moves in.

Fibre Force does this at zero cost to the landlord. The survey is free, the installation is managed, and the result is a building that can answer the connectivity question immediately and confidently.

Before your next viewing (or before another month passes with the space vacant) it's worth asking honestly: if a prospective tenant checked our building's connectivity credentials right now, what would they find?

Contact us to arrange your free building survey