Track Record Verification: 5 Questions to Ask Before Signing

"We have an excellent track record."

Every Geneva landlord says this. The words are meaningless without verification.

Here are five questions that cut through marketing, and the follow-up actions that confirm answers are true.

Question 1: "How many fit-outs have you delivered in the past 18 months, and can I contact those tenants?"

What Good Looks Like

"We've completed four fit-outs in the past 18 months. Here are the contacts for [Company A], [Company B], and [Company C]. They moved in on [dates] and can speak to timeline, cost, and experience."

Red Flags

• "I'd need to check what I can share"
• "Our tenants prefer privacy"
• "We've had some, but I don't have specific numbers"
• References from 3+ years ago

The Verification

Call the references. Ask:

1. "Did your fit-out finish on time?"
2. "Did it finish on budget?"
3. "What went wrong, and how did they handle it?"
4. "Would you choose this building again?"

Listen for: Specific stories, not generic praise. Problems handled well indicate capability more than "everything was perfect."

Question 2: "What are your response times for urgent issues, and is that commitment in writing?"

What Good Looks Like

"For urgent issues, we commit to acknowledgment within 1 hour and on-site response within 4 hours. This is documented in our service level agreement, which we'll include in the lease."

Red Flags

• "We respond as quickly as possible"
• "Our team is very responsive"
• "It depends on the situation"
• Unwillingness to put commitments in writing

The Verification

Request the written commitment. If it exists, review exactly what's promised. If it doesn't, assume the worst.

Ask references:

1. "When something went wrong, how quickly did they respond?"
2. "Can you give me a specific example of an urgent issue?"
3. "How did response reality compare to what they promised?"

Question 3: "Can you show me service charges for the past five years, broken down by category?"

What Good Looks Like

"Here's our service charge history. [Hands you actual data.] As you can see, costs have increased [X%] over five years, driven by [specific factors]. Year-over-year changes are explained in these notes."

Red Flags

• "I can get you a summary"
• "That information is confidential"
• "Our charges are competitive with market"
• Only providing current-year projection

The Verification

Review the data for:

• Total increase over 5 years (is it reasonable?)
• Major jumps (what caused them?)
• Category breakdown (is anything hidden in "other"?)
• Reserve fund growth (is it proportionate?)

Compare to market benchmarks. Geneva average for modern buildings: CHF 55-75/sqm. Significant deviation deserves explanation.

Question 4: "Who owns this building, how long have they owned it, and are there plans to sell?"

What Good Looks Like

"The building is owned by [Entity Name], a [family office / pension fund / etc.] that has held it since [year]. There are no current plans to sell. The owner's office is [location, ideally in the building]."

Red Flags

• "It's complicated"
• "The ownership structure is confidential"
• "There might be some restructuring planned"
• Recent ownership change without clear explanation

The Verification

Check public records (commercial register) for ownership details.

Ask directly:

1. "What happens to my lease if ownership changes?"
2. "Will the current management continue?"
3. "How have previous ownership changes (if any) affected tenants?"

Understand the implication: Ownership changes often bring management changes, service disruptions, and new priorities.

Question 5: "What's your actual energy consumption data for similar spaces?"

What Good Looks Like

"For a comparable space in this building, actual consumption over the past few years has been [X] kWh/sqm/year. Here's the data. We guarantee a maximum of [Y] kWh/sqm/year contractually."

Red Flags

• "Our Minergie certification specifies [design figure]"
• "We expect consumption around [estimate]"
• "We don't track at that level"
• Unwillingness to guarantee consumption

The Verification

Request actual data, not projections or design specs. Actual consumption data for 3+ years is gold standard.

Compare to:

• Design specifications (actual is usually 20-50% higher)
• Market benchmarks (Minergie buildings: 45-65 kWh/sqm typical)
• Your current consumption (if known)

The Verification Framework

After asking questions, organize your findings:

Confidence levels:

• High: Verified with documentation and references
• Medium: Verbal confirmation, limited documentation
• Low: Claims without verification

Decision rule: Don't sign with low confidence on any critical factor.

What Verification Reveals

Buildings that can answer these questions well share characteristics:

• Organized operations (they track data because they manage well)
• Transparency culture (they share because they're proud)
• Track record confidence (they have references because references are positive)
• Long-term orientation (they invest in relationships, not just yield)

Buildings that can't answer well reveal:

• Operational gaps (they don't track what matters)
• Something to hide (they won't share because data is unflattering)
• No track record (new management, new building, or poor performance)
• Short-term orientation (they optimize for closing deals, not relationships)

The Bottom Line

Verification takes time. It requires asking uncomfortable questions. It means following up when answers are vague.

But a building lease is a 5-10 year commitment. The time invested in verification is trivial compared to the time you'll spend living with your choice.

Ask the five questions. Verify the answers. Make decisions with confidence, not hope.

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LINK Geneva provides verified data for all five questions: fit-out references, written service commitments, 5-year service charge history, transparent ownership, and actual energy consumption data. Request our verification pack for your due diligence.