3 essential tips to find new tenants for your office in Lisbon

Portugal’s office market has grown massively throughout the last four years, being largely located in Lisbon. Big International real estate companies such as Cushman & Wakefield and GMP have had a large impact in Lisbon’s corporate panorama, transforming the city landscape into mix of attractive buildings and modern properties in the city center and in the western corridor outside Lisbon. The Riverfront is the new trendy area that attracts a wide range of tenants, including law firms, creative industries and real estate tech companies such as co-working space Factory and Hub Criativo Beato. Whilst we are talking about a very prosperous and growing market, it is also true that two years of pandemic have slowed down tenancies. From Smart Point, leaders in work-life premium services, we bring you 3 tips to attract new companies for your offices. 

Tip 1: understand how to best promote your building

OK, so you have an incredible building or office space to offer to your future tenants. And hopefully you are already advertising it online and building enough contacts to have a proper flow of enquiries coming through. However, how do you want to promote your building, exactly? What kind of companies are you looking to attract? Every corporate space is different, hence offers very different possibilities and will suit very different targets:

• Traditional single office space: these work best for companies such as financial services and law firms, and generally more traditional companies. Traditional office spaces give employees quiet, private offices or areas to work and handle clients and confidential information, as well as collaborative, shared space. They tend to have a reception area, a boardroom and private offices.
• Coworking space: this sort of setup tends to offer an open office space, equipped with desks and some meeting and break rooms. They tend to suit small companies and startups better, and can be secured by desk per day. They are generally flexible spaces that encourage social interactions and collaboration.
• Office buildings: when we are talking about full buildings devoted to corporate rental, we have got to consider 3 kinds of classifications. Class A office buildings are the largest and highest quality spaces on the market, offering high quality user services and concierge, attracting tenants with higher budgets. Class B buildings tend to be older properties that offer very reliable services and they are ideal for younger companies looking for cheaper leases. Lastly, Class C tends to offer only the essentials. 

Tip 2: look after your tenants from moment 0

Agreed: finding tenants quickly is the main goal. However, making sure they’re well looked after is key to keeping them aboard. As the property manager, your role is to make sure you’re friendly when interacting with your tenants, making sure that your tenants work in a place they like. Not only will this encourage them to stay, but you will also give yourself a good name by word of mouth. 

In that regard, it is important to create a good workspace from the very first interaction. By making sure you are timely, punctual, and professional during your inspection, you can make a good first impression, which will help keep your office space in mind as tenants narrow down their options on where to go. Offering them user services designed to make their work day better is also a great incentive for the prospective companies.

Tip 3: offer convenience & wellbeing services as an incentive

After a full pandemic, employees have learned the benefits and comfort of working from home. It is then important that the space offers services and commodities that are attractive to the potential tenant’s employees, offering them work-life balance. Here are some key services:

• Smart Points for parcel reception and well-being services in the reception area: this service constitutes a great improvement to the building entrance, adding parcel and convenience solutions to help them manage aspects of their personal day-to-day without affecting their daily work not their free time.
• Gyms and wellness rooms: moving the body is essential to feel good. Not only for the simple fact that muscle tone and health improve, but because sport helps us produce endorphins. This will also positively affect mental well-being and job satisfaction.
• Outdoor spaces, social and networking areas: an office is no longer a place where you only go to work. Employees also want to connect with their peers. For this reason, the areas of socialization, networking, and even outdoor spaces are a good tools to promote this.
• Nurseries, internal stores, restaurants, and other amenities that allow the worker to manage their life within the company in a pleasant and uncomplicated way.