Sub-divisible (subdivisible) in CRE refers to a single space that can be broken into two or more parts.
Sub-divisible – the “space” can mean
- Land – e.g. this parcel of land, 2 hectares, or 5 acres, in size, is sub-divisible (subdivisible) into two equal portions of 10,000 sqm
- Built property – e.g. this pocket of space, comprising 2,000 sqm, can be broken into 3 smaller pockets or units of say 500 sqm, 700 sqm and 800 sqm in size.
The concept of sub-divisibility saves the CRE industry a lot of time and effort.
Example – process of leasing space
- I am building out an office property of 12,000 sqm GLA. The first prize, for me as a developer, is to land a single tenant for all 12,000 sqm. However, this may not be possible. This I am prepared to accommodate smaller high quality (strong covenant) tenants renting space greater than 500 sqm each. Thus my 12,000 sqm space is sub-divisible (subdivisible) down to a minimum of 500 sqm.
- How do I manage this data so that tenant search criteria match my available space? For example, there are three high-quality tenants looking for 9,000 sqm, 2,000 sqm and 1,000 sqm respectively.
- I have two options:
- Record the vacant space opportunity as 12,000 sqm, sub-divisible (subdivisible) down to 500 sqm, OR
- Duplicate the available space available for lease in the hope of matching a tenant’s search criteria. For example, record the 12,000 sqm development to catch search criteria as follows
- 400 sqm to 600 sqm –> load the same space as 500 sqm
- 550 sqm to 800 sqm –> load the same space as 750 sqm
- 700 sqm to 1,200 sqm –> load the same space as 1,000 sqm
- 1,500 sqm to 2,000 sqm –> load the same space as 1,750 sqm
- 2,000 sqm to 3,000 sqm –> load the same space as 2,500 sqm
- Etc. all the way up to 12,000 sqm
The end result with option 2: lots of extra work, and all parties: myself and brokers, end up distorting their total available vacant area statistics.
Thus the concept of sub-divisibility (along with sophisticated CRE search engines) delivers high-quality data and greater levels of decision-making efficiency.
Insider insights into sub-divisibility
On top of space for lease being defined as sub-divisible (subdivisible), it can also be defined as combine-able or not. For example, space can be in three states
- Can be leased by itself or combined with other units
- Must be leased by itself only – i.e. cannot be combined with other units
