New Fire Regulations for all business premises come into effect on 1/10/06 and put the responsiblity for fire safety firmly onto the business. Risk assessment must now become a regular part of your fire safety procedures. Two useful sources of further information can be found at these websites:
 

A Google search on this subject will bring up a whole raft of businesses willing to carry out risk assessments for you but smaller firms can very easily do them for themselves and save a significant fee. It comes down to the same old principles that we should be adopting in almost all management work: Well-designed, methodical systems and good records.
 
Many "High Street" firms still occupy converted houses, often Victorian. These can be quite charming in character but can give problems in current use. The need for computer network cabling and modern lighting and ventilation, for example, can cause real difficulties. Support staff are often placed in the second floor and can suffer cold in winter and excessive heat in the summer. Reception areas can also be dark and dingy and give a poor impression to clients

Many "High Street" firms still occupy converted houses, often Victorian. These can be quite charming in character but can give problems in current use. The need for computer network cabling and modern lighting and ventilation, for example, can cause real difficulties. Support staff are often placed in the second floor and can suffer cold in winter and excessive heat in the summer. Reception areas can also be dark and dingy and give a poor impression to clients - see Marketing - Reception - and premises such as these are often critically short of accommodation and storage space.

If you occupy such offices you need to be very sure that they still fit the needs of the firm. Frankly, some would be better converteded back to residential use and with the housing market strong this could well be a sound move financially. Purpose-built offices could then be bought or leased and staff and clients both served much better.

There is one further element to consider. I come across firms in which one or more partners own the premises and lease it to the partnership. There is nothing wrong with this as long as it is done at arm's length and on a genuine open market basis but sadly it too often is not. Senior partners take a heavy rent from the partnership and junior partners may not feel able or willing to challenge this.

Firms of solicitors make attractive tenants. They are honorable in their business dealings, pay the rent and rates on time and take care of the property. Landlords are never going to find them running up overdue rent balances and then doing a midnight flit! Consequently they can bargain pretty hard when it comes to the level of rent and other terms when leasing premises. If the landlord is one or more of the partners they are in the strongest of all positions – they have a very considerable amount of control over their own tenant. They surely should not then expect those advantages and a heavy level of rent. It is simply not being fair or reasonable. In practice, they are simply inflating their own proft share at the expense of their partners.

One solution may be to have an agreement with an experienced local valuer who is asked whenever a review of the rent is due to arrive at a truly open market figure taking all this into account. Rent reviews should not be upward only and partners who do not own the property should dig their heels in unless they are sure they are being treated fairly. Firms should also be willing to consider moving if it looks logical to do so and a partner or partners with an interest in the property should surely not be entitled to vote against such a move, given their vested interest.