Finding the right occupier for a commercial unit starts long before anyone sees an advert. It depends on having accurate property details ready, photographs that show the space honestly, and a plan for dealing with whoever gets in touch. This guide covers each of those stages for owners advertising premises themselves.
Property facts to gather before advertising
Before you write a single word of copy, collect the facts a prospective occupier will actually need. Gaps here cause repeat phone calls later and slow everything down.
At minimum, gather:
- Floor area, ideally in square feet and square metres, and how it was measured
- Rent being sought, and whether this is per annum, per month, or per square foot
- Business rates payable, or guidance on where to check them
- Lease length available and whether it's flexible
- Parking provision, loading access, and any service yard details
- Planning use class, where known
- EPC rating, if one exists
- Service charge or insurance contributions, if applicable
- Any fixtures, fittings or equipment included
If you're unsure about planning use class or lease structure, that's a point where professional advice from a surveyor or solicitor may be worthwhile rather than guesswork. Our property information checklist sets out the full list in one place, which is useful to work through before you contact anyone about advertising.
Photographs that help occupiers assess the space
Good photographs let someone decide whether a property suits them before they pick up the phone. That saves time for both sides.
Focus on what helps someone picture using the space:
- Wide shots of each room or bay, taken from corners to show proportions
- The entrance and any signage position
- Parking, loading bays and external access
- Ceiling height and structural features in industrial or warehouse units
- Natural light and window positions in office space
Phone photographs are welcome and are often perfectly adequate, provided the property is tidy and well lit. Our phone photography guide has simple tips on angles and lighting that make a real difference without needing a professional camera.
Build a clear property advert
Once you have your facts and photographs, the advert itself needs to present the property clearly rather than cleverly. Prospective occupiers are comparing several properties at once and want to find relevant information quickly.
A clear advert generally includes:
- A straightforward heading stating property type, location and size
- Key facts (rent, rates, lease terms) near the top rather than buried in a paragraph
- A description that covers layout, condition and nearby amenities
- Clear photographs in a sensible order, starting with the exterior
Avoid vague adjectives without the facts to back them up. "Prominent position" means more when paired with footfall or road type; "flexible terms" means more when you state what you're actually willing to offer. Our guide on writing a better advert goes into more detail on structuring the description itself, and you can see a sample advert for a finished example.
Choose and coordinate the advertising
With the advert prepared, the next decision is where it appears and for how long. For most commercial property, a listing on a property portal gives an occupier a familiar place to search.
Let My Commercial includes a Standard Rightmove Commercial listing in the £149 + VAT package, or a Premium Listing in the £199 + VAT package. Each package covers one property for one agreed month.
Both packages include advert preparation from the information and photographs you supply, a page on the Let My Commercial website, reasonable listing changes during the month, and direct phone support if you need to query anything. There's no setup fee, no letting commission, and no automatic renewal at the end of the month.
If you're weighing up which package suits your property, or want to understand what's covered before committing, our guide to commercial property advertising costs breaks down the two options side by side. Getting in touch with us initially to ask questions doesn't start a campaign or publish anything; nothing goes live until you've agreed the advert and the listing has been submitted and processed by the portal.
Plan how you will respond to enquiries
Once an advert is live, enquiries from prospective occupiers are your responsibility to handle. It's worth deciding your approach before they start arriving rather than improvising on the first call.
Useful groundwork includes:
- A simple log of who's enquired, when, and what they asked
- A short list of questions to ask back, such as intended use and timeframe
- Your own availability for calls and viewings, so you're not caught out
- A viewing checklist so each visit covers the same ground consistently
You'll be the one answering enquiries, arranging and conducting viewings, choosing who to proceed with, negotiating terms, and taking professional advice as needed to complete the lease. Having a basic process in place, even a simple spreadsheet, makes it far easier to compare interest fairly and keep track of where each conversation stands. Our enquiry and viewing toolkit has templates you can adapt.
Review the controllable parts of the advert
If a property has been listed for a while without an enquiry, it's worth looking again at what's within your control. Rent, lease terms and condition are factors, but so is how the advert itself reads and looks.
Useful checks include:
- Is the rent and lease information stated clearly and not just implied?
- Do the photographs still reflect the current condition of the property?
- Is the description specific about size, access and nearby amenities?
- Has anything about the property changed since the advert went live, such as availability date or included fittings?
As part of the Let My Commercial packages, there's one marketing review included after 14 consecutive live days without an enquiry, which is a useful point to work through this list with us. You can also run a quick check yourself anytime using our free advert check.
Talk through the property
If you'd rather talk through your property before putting anything together, that's a reasonable place to start. A conversation can help clarify what information you already have, what photographs might be worth retaking, and which package fits what you're advertising, whether that's an office, a warehouse, or another type of commercial space. Our guides on advertising office space and renting out warehouse space cover property-specific points worth considering too.
If you're ready to move forward, you can request a callback and talk through your property and which package suits it, with no obligation to proceed until you're ready. You can also browse our full set of guides for more detail on any of the steps above.