Finding the right office space for your company can be quite demanding because the offer on the market is often not exceptionally wide. Many entrepreneurs will therefore turn to residential properties that can later be converted into an office space that perfectly fits their needs.
Of course, it all depends on the line of work you’re in, but offices belonging to architects, lawyers, designers and other professions that don’t require any heavy machinery can easily be placed inside a simple apartment. In fact, if you can do your job via a desktop computer and/or smartphone, your office can be located in pretty much any residential building. Here’s how that works.
Each trade has its own minimum requirements when it comes to the space in which it takes place. This is defined by the Rulebook of minimum technical and other requirements that apply to places of commerce, equipment and tools used in the places of commerce and the requirements for the sale of good outside of shops. On top of that, there are instructions in Croatia’s Act on Trade and Commerce.
Therefore, it is possible that no adaptation will be necessary.
However, if your activity does demand certain interventions in the residential property you’ve bought, your first move should be to find a geodesist. After that, you will need to begin the conversion process, and for this, you will need a permit issued by the county’s office in charge of issuing building permits. This document will serve to prove that the conversion you’re doing is in accordance with the relevant zoning plan.
Apart from that permit, you will need to secure a few other documents before the conversion can be completed, but this too will depend on the activity you aim to conduct there. Depending on that, it is even possible you will need a new location permit, a building permit, a new study and even a new certificate of occupancy.
The change will also have to be recorded in the cadastre which will then automatically notify the land registry about the whole procedure.
It needs to be said that buying a certain residential property can be conditioned on its conversion into an office space. So, a buyer can demand that the change be made before the transfer of funds is executed, and this condition is also put in the purchase agreement. Naturally, the buyer can also adapt the property once they take control of it.
The first part of this text focused more on office spaces and their conversion from the perspective of the buyer, but what if you own such a space and want it to bring in some revenue?
We first have to emphasize here the fact that office spaces for rent are becoming more and more sought after, primarily in Zagreb, but also in the rest of Croatia. Therefore, renting your piece of real estate out can secure a stable income for the foreseeable future. As expected, the same rules we mentioned in the first part still apply.
The most important thing to mention is that the first impression plays a huge role in attracting a potential buyer or lessee. So make sure to create the best possible photos for your ad in order to emphasize the advantages of the space you’re offering.
Any serious entrepreneur that shows some interest in your office space will want to personally check its quality before finalizing any deal. So, you should make sure everything is perfectly clean, and a good trick is to use an air freshener so that your office smells better, as well. Your guest will immediately feel better in such an environment, just be careful not to overdo it with the air freshener.
Natural light in the office space is also very important, so make sure that the blinds on the windows don’t obscure it in any way. Simply, a room with plenty of light is a much more pleasant working environment, and details like this can leave a very positive impression on your prospective buyer/lessee.
If you’re looking for the right property in Dalmatia or want to advertise that you have something for sale, Terra Dalmatica is the perfect partner for such a venture. Not only will we help you find exactly what you’re looking for, but our agents can also help you with valuable advice should you have any doubts or questions.
Not only that, but they will also help you check all the document a property needs to have. In that respect, the experience of our agency can be invaluable because it can save you a whole lot of time and make the whole procedure so much easier. Offices, shops and even warehouses can easily be found on our website - you only have to.
So don’t hesitate - feel free to contact us and know that you will be in very capable hands!
Šibenik
Šibenik
