Total Environment ATR Workcations

Total Environment ATR Workcations has its postal address at #355, Sir MVIT College Road, reached by the BIAL Road via Yelahanka, pincode 562157. BIAL is the airport's own name, and the road that carries it tells you which way this office faces: north, towards Devanahalli and the flights, rather than into the old city centre.

The developer has not published distances to the airport, to metro or rail stations, or to any business district, so we do not quote any. Work them out yourself from your own base. For an office, the questions that matter are how long your staff take to arrive at 9.30 in the morning and how easily a client can find the gate.

Before you commit, make the trip at the hours you will actually use. Drive in from where most of your team lives, then take the return route in the evening. Ask how many parking bays come with a unit, where visitors park and whether cabs can wait at the entrance. If your business relies on walk-in customers, spend an hour at the gate on a weekday and watch who passes. An address near the airport road suits a firm that travels, but may not suit one that serves the city's neighbourhoods.

Total Environment ATR Workcations has no RERA number published for this building. Ask Total Environment for the registration, or for a written explanation of why the building does not need one, and look it up on the Karnataka RERA website at rera.karnataka.gov.in. Do not pay a token amount until you have that answer.

Because construction is finished, your checks are those of a ready building. Ask for:

• The occupancy certificate for the tower
• Sanctioned building plan showing your unit
• Title deeds and an encumbrance certificate for the 2.25 acres
• Khata for the property and the latest tax receipt
• Confirmation that the approved use permits your type of business
• A draft sale deed and the maintenance agreement

A completed unit is conveyed by a sale deed, which you register at the sub-registrar's office when you pay the balance. After registration, apply to move the khata into your name and start paying property tax yourself. If you intend to rent the unit out, ask whether the building's association has rules on tenants and signage.

Total Environment ATR Workcations is one nine-storey block on 2.25 acres, rather than a campus of several towers. The ceilings are the first thing you will notice: the developer specifies at least 4 m from one floor to the next, which leaves room for services overhead and still feels open. Any images you are shown are renders as planned by the developer, so compare them with the finished floors on your visit.

Your day starts in a lobby finished in imported marble, then a ride in one of six large passenger lifts, with two more set aside for service use. Each floor has its own terrace garden, a place for a phone call or a break in the open air. The glazing is double-glazed low-E glass in aluminium frames, which should help with heat and outside noise.

Behind the scenes, diesel generators with acoustic enclosures back up the full power load in an N+1 arrangement, and CCTV covers the key points. No shared amenities such as a cafeteria or gym have been published, so ask what, if anything, is shared. Also ask who manages the building and what the monthly maintenance charge is per sq ft.

Total Environment ATR Workcations has not released a full list of unit sizes. The one area published is about 500 sq ft of built-up space, and the starting price is Rs. 36 Lakhs. If those two figures describe the same unit, the rate works out to about Rs. 7,200 per sq ft. Carpet area has not been given, so ask for it, because in an office building the common-area loading can be large.

What you receive is a shell. There is no flooring inside the unit, and plumbing is taken only as far as the shaft on your floor, with no toilet or pantry fixtures. Wiring is provided for the common areas alone. Add flooring, electrical work, plumbing, a false ceiling if you want one and furniture to your budget before comparing this with a fitted office elsewhere.

The building is complete, so GST should not apply to the sale price, while stamp duty and registration do. Ask for a written cost sheet showing:

• Unit number, floor and carpet area
• Base price and the rate per sq ft
• Parking bays included and their charge
• Maintenance deposit and monthly charge
• Power load sanctioned for the unit
• Stamp duty and registration