NSW commercial leases · cafe · gym · childcare

Before you sign that lease, find out what it'll actually cost to run.

A $299 maintenance scope review by an ARC-licensed HVAC tradie with 10+ years on the tools. We read your lease and the equipment, then tell you exactly what you'll be liable for — with real NSW dollar figures. Cafes, gyms, and childcare centres covered. 48-hour turnaround.

What you'll know before you sign

Cafe, gym, or childcare — every lease has a maintenance schedule buried inside. Brokers don't price the hidden costs into the asking. We do. The big one nobody mentions: filter replacement in high-occupancy fitouts can run $800–$4,800/yr alone.

What you're liable for

HVAC, refrigeration, grease trap, exhaust hood, hot water, electrical compliance — what the schedule says is yours vs. the landlord's, in plain English.

What it costs in NSW

Real annual dollar ranges per system, regional adjustments, what a fair quote looks like vs. an inflated one.

The rip-off list

The specific charges tradies and managing agents pad in commercial schedules. Six of them are almost always present.

Filter loading (gym + childcare)

The cost most listings ignore. High-occupancy AC chews filters every 8–10 weeks — $800–$4,800/yr the previous tenant didn't bother quoting.

Questions for the seller

What to ask before you sign — equipment age, last service, ARC certificates, outstanding works. Specifics that change the number on the table.

Lease red flags

Clauses that quietly transfer landlord obligations onto you. We flag them; you take them to your lawyer.

Year-one budget

A realistic 12-month maintenance budget so you can stress-test the asking price against actual operating cost.

How it works

Three steps. No site visit needed.

1

You send us the lease + listing

Drag your lease PDF + the sale listing into a form after checkout. We do the rest.

2

We do the audit (48 hours)

Tradie + 20 years of NSW HVAC + ARC pricing data read every line. We cross-check equipment ages, suburb-specific risk (coastal corrosion, strip-mall HVAC loads), and known broker tricks.

3

You get the PDF report

A clear written breakdown, dollar figures, questions to ask, red flags, and a year-one budget. Take it to your accountant, your lawyer, or back to the broker.

Sample excerpt

One page from a typical NSW cafe audit. Real format, names removed.

2.3 Refrigeration — cool room + 2× display fridges ⚠ Red flag Schedule item 4.2 makes tenant responsible for "all refrigeration maintenance and consumables, including refrigerant losses." Refrigerant losses are a landlord-side capital cost in most commercial leases. This wording shifts ~$1,200–$2,400/yr of risk onto you for a system you didn't choose and can't replace. Equipment Skope SK650 single-door cool room (8 years old, R-404A). Hussmann display × 2 (R-134a, age unconfirmed — request invoices). Cost picture Annual service (ARC-licensed): $420–$640 Refrigerant top-up (R-404A is phase-out, $180–$260/kg): $0–$520 Reasonable annual line item: $650–$1,100 Schedule's quoted "maintenance fee": $1,890 — high end Ask the seller Last ARC service docket + leak test certificate. Compressor brand and date of last replacement. Whether the R-404A system has a defined retrofit budget.

Who's behind it

ARC-licensed refrigeration + A/C techs, Central Coast NSW. 10+ years on commercial HVAC and hospitality fit-outs. MaintScope exists because we've been the tech in the middle of these messes — the one called out at month 12 when the AC starts dripping and the new owner finds out who actually pays. We built it so the next first-time owner sees the line items before they sign.

ARC AU34267 NSW commercial 10+ yrs HVAC + refrigeration Cafe · gym · childcare

Cafe Maintenance Scope Audit

$299 AUD

Pay once. 48-hour turnaround. Refund if the audit doesn't find at least one cost item the listing didn't disclose.

Get my audit →

Common questions

Is this legal advice?

No. This is a maintenance scope review — a technical breakdown of what the property and equipment will cost to run, and where the lease shifts costs onto the tenant. We don't tell you whether to sign or not, and we flag any clause that needs a lawyer. Take the report to a commercial leasing solicitor before signing.

How do you know what NSW cafes actually cost to run?

10+ years on the tools across hospitality sites in Sydney, Newcastle, and the Central Coast. We've quoted, serviced, and replaced this gear ourselves. The dollar ranges in the report are what we'd quote — not what a managing agent will tell you.

Do you also do gyms / retail / restaurants?

Cafes first. Restaurants, gyms, and retail coming soon — email if you have one in front of you.

Refund policy?

If our audit doesn't flag at least one cost item the listing or seller failed to disclose, full refund. We've never not flagged something.