A factory that looks “beautiful” in a brochure may still be unusable if its floor loading is 200 kg/m2 below your press machine, or its fire system was accepted for a different goods category. Technical diligence before leasing checks three layers: structural parameters — building services parameters — and the fit between acceptance documents and your actual production sector. This article organises the items in exactly that checking order.
1. Floor loading, slab and structure
Design floor loading (kg/m2) must be read from the design/as-built file, never from sales talk: standard factories for light production and warehousing sit at markedly different loading levels than workshops for engineering or high-stacked heavy storage. Check alongside: slab construction (reinforced concrete thickness, crack-control mesh, epoxy or hardener surface treatment), point-load capacity under machine feet and the loading of a fully laden forklift in motion, and floor flatness if you use high racking or reach trucks. Column grid and spans: long production lines need wide grids; a column in the middle of the floor is a permanent layout cost. Every “the floor takes X tonnes” claim from the lessor must be produced in the technical documents annexed to the contract.
2. Clear height and operating space
Clear height is measured from the floor to the lowest point of the roof structure/beams — not the ridge height in the advertisement. Check it against: line height and overhead cranes (if any), planned racking height plus the safety clearance for sprinkler heads, and the sector’s natural/forced ventilation needs (paint shops and light chemicals need large air volumes). Loading doors: number, rolling-door dimensions, dock levellers and rain canopies for dispatch. A factory short by 0.5 m for your planned racking system is a factory whose whole warehouse plan must be redesigned — discovering that after signing is too late.
3. Power, water and auxiliary systems
Power capacity available at the factory’s connection point (kVA) and upgradeability: who pays for the substation upgrade and how long it takes — an item to fix in writing, because many sectors (plastics, engineering, cold storage) far exceed a ready-built factory’s standard capacity. Water supply: flow and pressure for production and fire-fighting; wastewater: discharge point location, permitted discharge volume into the park system and pre-treatment standards required by the park. Sector-dependent auxiliaries: compressed air, cooling water, on-site exhaust treatment, and electric-forklift charging areas (with their own fire-safety requirements for batteries). Tabulate your line’s auxiliary needs and check each row against the factory’s actual state before negotiating price.
4. Fire protection: the non-negotiable legal item
Production factories and warehouses are subjects of fire-protection management; the works must undergo fire-protection design appraisal and acceptance under Law No. 55/2024/QH15 on fire prevention, fighting and rescue and Decree 105/2025/ND-CP before being put into use. Three mandatory cross-checks: (i) whether the fire-hazard group in the appraisal file (based on QCVN 06:2022/BXD on fire safety for buildings and works) covers your production sector and stored goods — storing high-fire-risk goods in a factory approved for light production is a violation from day one; (ii) the existing systems: automatic alarm, automatic suppression (sprinklers) or hydrants, fire water tanks and pumps, escape routes — whether they match the accepted file or were altered in prior use; (iii) the premises fire-management file: fire-fighting plan, in-house fire team, periodic system maintenance. The tenant bears fire-safety responsibility for its own operations from the day it takes the factory — it inherits no “leniency” from the lessor’s past.
Frequently asked questions
How do we know the brochure’s floor loading is true?
Require the as-built file and structural drawings stamped by the design/review unit; the design loading sits in the structural notes. If the file is missing or unclear, engage an independent construction inspection unit to survey the current state before signing — inspection cost is trivial next to the risk of a cracked slab in operation.
Our sector needs more power than the factory has — how is that handled?
The upgrade agreement must be written into the contract: who invests in the substation/feeder, the completion time, and the rent adjustment after upgrade (if the lessor invests). Never sign on a verbal “we will upgrade later” promise — your production schedule depends entirely on this item.
The factory has fire acceptance for garment production; we will store electronic components — is re-appraisal needed?
Changing the function or fire-hazard group of activities inside the works may require supplementary fire-protection design appraisal and re-acceptance of the changed part. Electronic component storage (especially with lithium batteries) has different fire characteristics from garment production — ask the local fire police authority and record its view before signing the lease.
Should technical measurement happen before or after the deposit?
Before any deposit that is forfeitable on withdrawal. The safe sequence: file diligence and site measurement first, then negotiation and deposit; if the market forces an early reservation, use a reservation agreement with a refund condition if technical diligence fails the listed minimum parameters.
