We are often asked by doctors to assess whether a space is or is not appropriate for lease for a new dental or medical clinic. A professional commercial realtor and lease consultant can assess whether the demographics, the competition, the lease price/lease terms and other aspects of the viability of your future in any particular area. As contractors, we do not provide such services, but can refer you to firms that specialize in such work, should you contact our office’s sales team.

From a design and construction point of view, there are several important issues that you should take into consideration. We strongly recommend that once you have selected a property, call us and have us provide you with a  free assessment of the property, so you can be aware of the potential problems and the impact of such problems on your project costs and schedule. Typical important considerations include:

• Is the property zoned for the type of clinic or business you plan to open?
• Does the selected property have sufficient parking as required by the Ontario Building Code for a permit application?
• Does the property have the appropriate life safety requirements as per the Ontario Building Code (fire separations to adjacent properties, sprinkler/fire alarm systems, etc.)
• Does the property have an HVAC unit with sufficient service size to accommodate a medical space as per the Ontario Building Code? Note that medical spaces have higher requirements than typical retail spaces.
• Does the property have sufficient electrical service to accommodate all the medical equipment which will be in use?  Note that compressor/vacuum devices and X-Ray/Radiation devices require high electrical requirements.
• Is the depth of the plumbing drainage sufficient to cover the distance of all your sinks and fixtures?  Medical spaces typically have extensive plumbing requirements with sinks in multiple rooms.
• Is the water service and pressure sufficient for your clinic requirements?
• Do the property layout and entrances meet the Ontario Building Code’s accessibility requirements?
• Is there sufficient deck height to allow you to have a aesthetically pleasing ceiling design?
• Are there “designated substances” (such as asbestos) present within the property.

There are many other considerations which are best addressed through an in-person visit. Beware of signing agreements on properties which are advertised in an “as is” condition with property costs that seem too goo to be true.  Such properties are typically leased or sold with that condition due to the fact that the current owner is aware that there may be significant issues which will cost a lot of money and time to address.

‍