Perhaps a recent dental school graduate is ready to open a private practice and wants to pick the right location for their new facilities. Maybe an existing dental practice that has a positive reputation in the local community hopes to expand to new locations.
Regardless, finding the right office location for a dental practice can be a major challenge, even when someone already has a thriving practice. There are many considerations that can influence the decision about where to locate a new office when expanding an existing dental practice.
What are the legal considerations that could affect the acquisition of new office space?
Zoning regulations
Local zoning ordinances in California impose limits on how people use private property. Finding a building or a vacant parcel with the right zoning is often of the utmost importance. Otherwise, a dental practice may need to undertake a very lengthy procedure to obtain a zoning variance or change the current zoning at a property. Both options can take months to accomplish and have no guarantee of success.
Whether buying is practical or not
Another key consideration that affects both legal and financial matters is whether the dental practice intends to rent a space or purchase it. Rental properties are often easier to come by but impose many more restrictions on property use.
There’s always the possibility that the landlord might sell the property eventually, forcing the practice to relocate or renegotiate the lease for the space. The lease itself may include many surprises, as they are vastly different from residential leases. Those operating a dental practice have to check leases carefully to ensure they understand the terms of the agreement.
Purchasing properties can also be a complex process for a business. Securing financing can be a challenge, and finding the ideal location, especially if someone intends to build a new structure, can also be difficult. A prospective buyer also needs to perform due diligence before committing to an offer.
There are certain other practical considerations that may affect the process of selecting a location. Those concerns include the number of other nearby dental practices offering similar services and the proximity to existing facilities. For all of these reasons and more, having support when looking into expanding a dental practice can help owners in business managers more effectively navigate what is often a complex process.
