Renting commercial premises in Batumi: for a shop, a café or an office

Commercial premises in Batumi are rented for a specific business, and the checks start with the business, not with the price per square metre. A café needs an extraction duct and a strong power supply, a shop needs a shop window and people passing the entrance, an office needs parking and quiet. We find premises for your format, check the owner and the permitted use in the documents and help draw up a lease that will not get in the way of the business a year from now.

Renting commercial premises in Batumi: start with the business

Before viewings we make a list of requirements: the area of the main room and the back room, the ceiling height, the power supply, water and drainage, extraction, a separate entrance, a place for a sign, deliveries, a toilet. A medical practice, a children's centre or a beauty salon may have their own requirements for premises, and we check them for your business, not in general.

If even one essential condition is not met, the premises do not suit, however much the square metre costs. A café cannot open without an extraction duct if the building's rules forbid running a pipe up the façade.

The street and the season

By the sea there are crowds in summer, while in winter the boulevard empties and cafés there work seasonal hours. In the centre and on streets where people live all year round, footfall is steadier: a pharmacy, a bakery, a salon or an office works all year. So the same premises can bring in very different money in summer and winter.

We look at the street at different times: on weekday mornings, in the evening, at weekends, and if the decision is not urgent, in the off season too. We ask the neighbours which business operated here before and why it left. For a business that works only in summer, premises by the sea may suit, but then we discuss the lease terms with the winter months in mind.

Documents and the owner

In the Public Registry extract we look at who the owner is, the permitted use of the premises, mortgages and seizures. If a representative is letting the premises, they need the owner's power of attorney. If the documents show a residential apartment on the ground floor, opening a café or a shop in it may not be easy, and we find this out before any deposit.

For a long lease and an expensive fit-out it is worth checking the property more thoroughly: its history, disputes, third-party rights. A check of the property's legal title starts from 960 ₾. If the premises are mortgaged to a bank, we find out what happens to the lease if the bank enforces the mortgage.

Power, extraction and entrances

We check the power allocated under the contract with Energo-Pro Georgia from the documents, not by word of mouth, and find out whether it can be increased and at whose expense. We also look at the extraction duct, the delivery entrance, a place for waste and the building's rules on signs and shop windows before signing.

Columns in the main room and the ceiling height decide whether the necessary equipment will fit. For a café or a restaurant drainage and a grease trap matter, for an office the number of sockets, the internet and air conditioning.

The tenant's fit-out

Premises in new buildings are often let in shell and core: concrete, windows, utility connections. The fit-out falls to the tenant, and it has to be agreed before signing: who does what, at whose expense, whether there is a rent-free period during the works and what happens to the fit-out when you leave. How such premises are fitted out is explained on our page about fitting out premises from the developer.

If the fit-out is expensive, the lease term should be long enough for the investment to pay back. Otherwise in a year the owner may not renew the lease, and your fit-out will stay with them.

The commercial lease

In the lease we record the term and the right to renew, the amount, currency and indexation, the deposit, who pays for utilities and building maintenance, the rules on works, the terms of early termination for both sides, and whether part of the premises may be sublet. If the owner is registered for VAT, VAT may be added to the rent, and this is settled before signing.

A commercial lease with indexation, tenant fit-out terms and guarantees starts from 660 ₾. When the premises are handed over we draw up a report with photos and meter readings, so that on leaving it is clear in what condition to return them.

If you are an owner

Finding a tenant for commercial premises costs 150–180 % of one month's rent, and management costs 9–12 % of the monthly rent. How we run such properties is explained on our page about commercial property management. If you are thinking about buying premises for your business instead of renting, there is a selection on our page about buying commercial property.

How much help with renting commercial premises costs

A commercial lease starts from 660 ₾, a check of the property's legal title from 960 ₾, a consultation with a property lawyer of up to an hour from 155 ₾. Finding premises for your business is discussed separately: the scope depends on the format and the requirements.

The final price is set after we review the task and agree the scope of work. You pay the rent, the deposit and taxes under the lease, and they are not part of our fee.