IT-Label Pre-Inspection: know what you are renting

You have found a new office space. The location is good, the surface area is right, and the rent fits within your budget. There is even a nice energy label attached to it. You are basically ready to sign. Then someone asks the question: but what about the IT?

And that is where the uncertainty starts. Is there fiber optic? How fast is the connection? Where does the internet come in? Is there a technical room? Can your organization work here safely, and can you expand later? And above all: what exactly do you get at delivery?

The IT-Label Pre-Inspection is meant to answer these questions before you sign anything. The principle is simple: first know what you get, then decide whether it fits.

What is an IT-Label Pre-Inspection?

An IT-Label Pre-Inspection is a check of the digital facilities of a building, floor or unit before a tenant starts using the space. The inspection looks at the digital foundation of the space: not only at what is stated on paper, but at what is actually present and usable.

In short, the pre-inspection answers two questions. What do I get digitally if I rent this space? And: is this space ready for my organization? That is a different question than whether "internet is available." It is about the usability quality for your people and your way of working.

The pre-inspection connects to the broader idea behind the IT-label. Where many reports stop at technical details, IT-Label translates the findings into language everyone in real estate understands.

When do you need an IT-Label Pre-Inspection?

A pre-inspection is especially interesting at moments when you can still decide or negotiate something. Think of the phases in which nothing has been finalized yet.

• Before you sign a lease.
• During a viewing or during negotiations.
• Before you move into a new office space or relocate.
• During a renovation of an existing space.
• When your organization is going to set higher requirements for IT.

The core is always the same: the sooner you know what is present, the easier it is to determine what is still needed. After signing, adjustments are almost always more expensive and slower than before.

What does IT-Label check?

The inspection looks at a number of fixed components. Each component can be explained simply, without you needing any IT knowledge.

Connectivity

This is about the connection to the outside world. Is there fiber optic, which providers are available, and how reliable is the connection? You can think of fiber optic as a fast digital highway for data. You can read more about this in our article on fiber optic in buildings.

Cabling

Data also needs to travel through the building. The inspection examines the network cabling, the connection points and the patch panels. A patch panel is a cabinet where network cables come together and are connected. This is the point where a building's digital roads converge.

Wifi

Wifi is different from internet. Internet is the connection to the outside world, wifi is the wireless connection within the space. The question is: can your people work well wirelessly throughout the building? See also our explanation of wifi coverage in buildings.

Technical rooms

The inspection checks whether there is enough space and facilities for the digital infrastructure. Think of a patch or server room, power supply, cooling and room for future expansion.

Security

This concerns the digital security of the systems present, such as access control, cameras and network security. Cybersecurity is protecting digital systems against people who do not belong in them. You can read why this starts with the building itself in our piece on cybersecurity in real estate.

Smart building and IoT

Finally, it is examined whether the building has smart systems: lighting, climate control, sensors and energy monitoring that work together. A smart building is a building in which various smart systems work together. IoT stands for devices that share information with each other through a network. Both partly determine whether a building will be able to grow along with smarter applications later on.

A building can look perfect and yet only show what it is truly worth digitally on the first working day.

Can the space grow along with you?

A good pre-inspection does not only look at what is there today, but also at what you will need tomorrow. Your organization may have twenty employees now, but possibly fifty in three years. Or you may increasingly work with the cloud, with AI, with video calling and with digital collaboration.

That is why the inspection also looks at expandability. Put simply: can the building grow along with you? A space that is perfectly adequate today can become tight within a few years if the digital infrastructure has not been prepared for growth. This connects directly to future-proof building.

From technical information to understandable information

This may well be the most important role of IT-Label. A technical report might say: "There is a fiber optic backbone with a technical room and structured cabling." As a tenant, your main thought is probably: okay, but can I actually work here?

IT-Label translates that technical information into real estate language. For example: the space has a good digital foundation, is suitable for regular office use and can be expanded in certain areas. That is information you can base a decision on.

What does a pre-inspection deliver?

After the inspection you know a number of concrete things. We summarize them as a short checklist.

1. What is present: which digital facilities are there?
2. What do I get: which facilities come with the space you are renting?
3. What is missing: which components are not yet present?
4. What do I need: which facilities does your organization require?
5. What do I need to adjust: which upgrades might be needed?
6. Can I expand: how easily can the infrastructure grow along?
7. Which IT delivery level fits this, in understandable terms?

A simple example

Suppose a company wants to rent 400 square meters of office space. The organization has thirty employees, many online meetings, cloud software, high security requirements and plans to grow within three years.

The pre-inspection shows that fiber optic, good cabling, a technical room and access control are present. As a point of attention, it becomes clear that the wifi needs to be expanded, that additional network points are desired and that a second, independent connection is still missing. You can read why this dual connection can be important in our piece on network redundancy.

The conclusion is then: the space can be suitable, but some upgrades are needed before it is put into use. That is much more valuable than simply being told that fiber optic is present.

What happens if something is missing?

Anyone who does not investigate this in advance runs the risk of discovering, after signing, that an additional internet connection still needs to be installed, that cables need to be replaced, that a technical room needs to be adjusted, or that the wifi is inadequate. It may also turn out that extra security is needed or that smart devices cannot easily be added.

This almost always means extra costs, extra time and possible delays in your move. A pre-inspection makes these points visible in advance, at a moment when you can still do something about them. For tenants, this is a concrete part of what to pay attention to.

Who is an IT-Label Pre-Inspection interesting for?

The pre-inspection is not only useful for tenants. For the tenant, it means: you know what you are renting. For the landlord, it means: you know what your building actually offers and can demonstrate that with evidence. You can read more about this at what you show as a property owner.

For the broker, it means a space can be presented better and more honestly. And for the investor, it provides insight into the digital quality and into possible investments. This creates more transparency in the real estate market, with the same clear information for all parties.

Why is digital quality becoming increasingly important?

When you rent an office, do you only check the square meters, or also the digital square meters? A modern workplace no longer consists only of desks, chairs and meeting rooms. It also consists of internet, wifi, data, digital access, smart systems and security.

It is quite conceivable that a pre-inspection will become just as normal in the future as an energy label, a technical inspection or a delivery report. Not because every building must be digitally maximized, but because every user deserves to know what they are getting. A floor may deliberately be delivered at a basic level; the point is that this is clear in advance. You can find the different levels in the IT-label classification.

The IT-Label Pre-Inspection in five steps

To keep things practical, the approach looks as follows.

• Step 1, review the space. IT-Label examines the building, the floor or the unit.
• Step 2, check the infrastructure. The most important IT facilities are made transparent.
• Step 3, determine the need. What does the future tenant require?
• Step 4, make the differences visible. What is already there and what is missing?
• Step 5, advice. Which improvements or upgrades are needed?

An office space can look perfect. But the real question may only begin when you plug into the socket. With the IT-Label Pre-Inspection you know in advance what is present digitally, what you get, what you need and what may need to be adjusted.

Request a pre-inspection yourself

Do you want to know what a space offers you digitally before you sign? Get in touch without obligation through our contact page to request an IT-Label Pre-Inspection. You will receive a clear overview of what is present, what is missing and which IT delivery level fits the space. That way, the same principle applies to your next office: first know what you are renting, then sign.