August 25, 2020

One of the first things a business considers when they move into a new building – their signage – is sometimes one of the last things a business considers when they’re moving out. The global pandemic we’re living through has caused a lot of turmoil for businesses of every size. But perhaps the most seriously affected are small businesses; the mom-and-pops, the corner shops, the tiny studios and the medium-sized offices all struggling to stay afloat in these unprecedented times. Whether you’re downsizing, re-locating, shutting your doors or opening new ones, don’t let your building signage be an afterthought! Here are 3 of the most important (and often-overlooked) things to consider when moving in, moving out, or moving on.

1) What happens to signage is often the tenant’s responsibility

The disappointment of being forced to to close your doors might only matched by the thrill of getting to open new ones. Moving in or out of a location is a stressful and emotional time, and that makes it even more important to read the fine print on that lease agreement.

In most of the cases we have seen over the past 17 years, the tenant is fully responsible for any and all signage they install on the front of the building they occupy – and that includes what happens to their signage when it comes time to move out. It makes sense to pay attention to how your landlord wants you to handle signage before you even sign the leasing paperwork. That way, you can avoid any unpleasant surprises during a time when you very likely have other things on your mind.

2) Relocating a sign might not be your best bet

Here at Exterior Products, we regularly get a similar-sounding request from our clients: “Can you move my sign from our old building to a new location across town?” We would certainly love to oblige! However, the vast majority of signage is affixed with permanent plastic anchors that break off when we remove the sign. We can take special measures to preserve the sign, but the nature of the work usually requires bending and pulling that causes cracks or damage, making the signage unusable elsewhere. Signs that are made of foam letters adhered to the building façade will break into pieces when we remove them, as they become brittle from long exposure to the sun and elements. And that’s not even taking into account the difficulty of removing adhesive from stucco!

Another aspect to consider is permitting. New signage must usually conform to specific design criteria required by a business park association and/or a city government or municipality, especially when electrical is involved.

If your sign has sentimental value to you, we will gladly do everything in our power to preserve its appearance so you can keep it as a memento. But in general, if you want the same sign installed on a different building, your sign fabricator is your best resource.

3) Don’t wait until the last minute!

All the anxiety and upheaval of moving creates enough strain on a business owner without them also having to consider what happens to their location after they’re gone. ExPro regularly answers frantic, eleventh-hour Friday phone calls from frazzled tenants who just found out they need to remove their signage by Monday.

That said, we can usually accommodate urgent sign removal requests within a 24 to 72-hour period. We have to make sure that the property owner and manager have a copy of our insurance certificate and are aware of the operation, which means our speed depends on the speed of other involved parties. Most savvy business owners know it’s beneficial to plan ahead. You do not want to be worrying about what the property manager will say if your sign is still on the building when you return the keys!

To sum up…

We take pride in our work and take care of our clients! We own a 45’, a 50’ and two 60’ aerial lifts, so there are no equipment rental fees for most of the work we perform. If you need help with sign removal, call Exterior Products to schedule an appointment the same week, or use the handy contact form on our website to send us a message.