American Edge Engineers ·
The lease fixes what the MEP design can do
Many franchise MEP problems start before an engineer is involved. The lease decides what the tenant may connect to, where equipment may go and who pays for upgrades. A tenant who signs first and asks later can discover that the building cannot support the brand's prototype without a costly change to the electrical service, the gas supply or the roof.
The goal of this guide is simple: put the right questions to the landlord in writing, while the lease is still open. This is the information we ask for at the start of any franchise MEP design project.
What to ask the landlord, system by system
| System | Ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical | Size of the service to the space, spare capacity, meter and panel location | Prototype equipment may exceed what the space can be supplied with |
| Gas | Whether a gas meter serves the space, its capacity, and who pays for a new or larger connection | Cooking equipment depends on it, and a new connection can be slow and expensive |
| Roof and structure | Roof space and access for equipment, who approves penetrations, any weight limits | Rooftop units and exhaust fans need a place and an approved opening |
| Kitchen exhaust | An approved path for the exhaust duct to the roof and a location for make-up air | Without a route, a food-service space may not be able to cook at all |
| Grease and drainage | An existing grease interceptor or space to install one, and the capacity of the sanitary line | Required for most food-service spaces and often the hardest item to retrofit |
| Water | Size of the water service and any backflow requirements | Affects fixtures, water heating and equipment connections |
| Building rules | Written tenant design criteria, drawing approval steps and working-hour limits | Delays in landlord approval move the opening date |
Who pays for what
Work on the building's shared infrastructure, such as a larger electrical service, a new gas line or a new riser, is commonly negotiated between landlord and tenant. What is paid by the landlord, what is covered by an allowance and what falls to the tenant should be stated in the lease or in a letter attached to it. A cost discovered after signing is usually the tenant's.
Ask the landlord to confirm in writing any item the prototype needs and the building may not provide. A verbal answer from a property manager is not enough to plan a budget around.
Bring in an MEP engineer before the lease is final
A short review of the lease outline drawing and the landlord's criteria by an MEP engineer takes far less time than the lease negotiation itself. It tells you whether the space can host the prototype, which upgrades to ask the landlord to cover, and what the likely MEP scope and cost will be.
Checklist: before you sign
- Lease outline drawing or floor plan of the space
- Electrical service size and spare capacity, confirmed in writing
- Gas availability and meter capacity, with who pays for new connections
- Roof access, structural limits and the approval process for penetrations
- An approved route for kitchen exhaust and a location for make-up air, if cooking
- Grease interceptor location or space, and sanitary line capacity
- Landlord's written tenant design criteria and approval timeline
- Allocation of upgrade costs between landlord and tenant, written into the lease
Send us the lease drawings
Send us the lease outline, the landlord's criteria and your brand's prototype, and we will review them in a free franchise MEP review. You get a list of the items that need the landlord's answer, the upgrades to negotiate and a clear MEP scope before you commit.
Next step
Learn how our MEP Design for Franchise Projects service works, or send us one drawing set for a free project review and decide after you see our work.