Andrew was looking at opening a gym in Collingwood. Andrew was aware that the site he was looking at had been a retail business previously.

Meeting with us

Before signing a lease, Andrew contacted us to discuss what permits he needed. We told Andrew he would need a change of use building permit, amongst others.

The meeting helped Andrew understand the process of opening a business, including costs, timeframes, permits and possible delays.

Negotiating a lease

Based on the guidance we gave Andrew, he:

• assessed other sites before deciding on a site
• negotiated a lease on his chosen site, pending a successful permit application process
• negotiated an initial rent-free period so he could complete the permit process and open his business.

Dealing with delays

Andrew encountered a delay in his change of use building application due to disability access requirements. Andrew had prepared for this, based on our advice during the application process, and there was minimal impact on the opening schedule.

Andrew was able to:

• get regular updates from us as the permits were processed and approved
• coordinate his plans with permit timelines to plan and mitigate any potential risks.

Once the permits were granted Andrew opened his gym a week before his anticipated timeframe.