When you buy something, you want value for money! That means you want to have a big say in what you get delivered and when. That kind of influence you have everywhere as a consumer….. except in the world of construction. As a tenant you find a whole battalion of people between you and the manufacturer of your property or home furnishings. And they all have their own opinions and interests. Do you want to know how you can free yourself of their main influence? Then please read on.

As a tenant, you are not happy now

Suppose you want to relax in your own home, so you decide to buy a comfortable corner settee. You choose the shape, the number of seating elements, the material for the covers, the color, the height of the backrest, the width of the armrests etcetera. All according to your needs and tastes. You wait anxiously for the delivery. Okay, that will take twelve to fourteen weeks, but you will eventually get yóur settee.

How totally different things work in the building world. As a tenant of a house or office you are put up with the layout and design that the owner gives you. Adapting things to your own needs is hardly ever allowed. And when it is, you are often obliged to restore everything to its original state before you leave. Never mind, then! You do not want to waste money. There you are in a house that will never be a real home to you, with all the (unconscious) unrest and dissatisfaction that come with it. Or you are in an office building where climate and lighting affect the concentration and well being of you and your staff. So what are we waiting for? It is high time that you, as a tenant of a building, can totally decide what you want with the fit-out and the related MEP systems (Mechanical, Electric, Plumbing).

The owner is not happy either

According to the current property law the owner of the building is also responsible for the kitchen, the bathroom and installations for, among other things, heat and light. Like the building and often the land beneath it, also the fit-out is his legal property. And believe me, the real estate investor or housing association is not really happy about that either. They prefer to invest in things that last and do not need change. Like the foundation, the core and shell of the building – the base building – the roof and a good connection to gas, water and light. And that makes sense when you look at the diagram series below.

The base building is by far the most expensive. But with minimum cost for management and maintenance. Cost that can easily be planned for the most part. That gives a property owner certainty about expenses, revenues and profitability. Until… he is responsible for the fit-out and related MEP systems with high and difficult to plan expenses. Unhappy investor! Even more so because he has to deal with your specific needs and tastes. Which needs and tastes will change in the course of time too. Or someone else with totally different needs may move into your current home or business premises. All these changes are not an attractive investment for your landlord.

But you are unhappy too! While at the same time you want nothing more than to create your own home and work environment. A place where you really feel at home. So the owner as landlord puts al perceived costs and risks into his price tag for you…. because he sees no opportunity to influence them. But influencing is what you can do best!

What needs to change?

While by standard real-estate ownership law the Fit-Out is the responsibility of the owner of the ground underneath, changes can apply when registered explicitly by the notary and published in the register. To give you full control over the fit-out, it will be best that (Dutch) laws and regulations change. Because they inhibit the so needed innovation in relationships and responsibilities between landlord and tenant in ownership agreements. Politics and government officials agree to some extent. So, proposals that give you more freedom as a user should be in the making! But based on what exactly?

Seperation is the solution

The solution begins with the separation of the base building and the fit-out. The investor is responsible for the base building and as a user you are responsible for the fit-out. That authorizes you to make any change you want, in compliance with the base building essentials. This separation has several advantages:

1. You have the freedom to organize and change your home and/or workplace as you see fit. You determine where you want the inside walls, the kitchen and the bathroom. You choose installations for water, heating and ventilation that suit your needs. Solids in Amsterdam Old West is a good example of how this separation already works beautifully. And see more on our examples page.
2. The separation provides new and attractive legal and fiscal possibilities. Like closing a mortgage for your fit-out instead of a more expensive personal loan that you are stuck with now.
3. There will be new producers on the market that deliver total fit-outs directly to you. You can buy or lease them for an interesting sum a month. So you pay for the use rather than the ownership. Comparatively, why buy a lamp when you just need light?
4. With the separation of base building and fit-out we finally achieve truly sustainable building. In such a modern building we mix or glue no materials together and we certainly do not put MEP systems in concrete. All parts are separately replaceable when their life cycle is complete. We move from consuming to use and reuse. We regain valuable (biological) materials where we can. Then providers finally have a real interest in only delivering high-quality products, because it determines their future success. And that is a big advantage for you as a user!

Support the road to the solution

The solutions described are legally still less often used and considered complicated sometimes. We need to simplify things by doing. With several partners I am exploring how we will achieve that. In the mean time… hold your own ground in the world of construction! Do you want to be part of that change? I will show you the way in the world of construction and teach you the language that gets things done there YOUR way. So you can hold your own ground in the building process you are involved in, in the transformation of existing buildings and new constructions.

Take the next step and share your experiences

Do you want to take a next step? Come to the FREE* Masterclass. We will work with practical tools to instantly implement the actions of my ebook in your organizational, fiscal or financial projects and organization.

Join the conversation

Do you know how to build that new way and what you need? How would you solve this issue? Share it in the comments below.

To your health and wellbeing,

Remko Zuidema