Q: Dr. M I have a couple of questions for you regarding subletting, or rather having someone rent space from us. We have a ND (Naturopath) in town that we would like to have in our office to help cut down on rent. The building is in serious need of a buildout and we need to find out how much that will cost. Do we include that cost in her "up-front" fee or just take that into consideration for her rent? How have you worked it or how have you heard that it works. Do you do a percentage or flat rate? Do you share staff (ie., receptionist). How much of a percentage should we charge? We are looking at a space of 823 sq.ft. and the layout is very negotiable. Its a malnourished "Box" (approx 30'X 30'). Any ideas. Thanks: Q: Thanks for the e-mail. First it makes no difference if the potential other person is a DC or an ND they all fall under the category of an IC .. howžs that for letters. An Independent Contractor could be a chiropractor or massage therapist of naturopath. They are just renting space. For this privilege you have the headache of the overhead .. utilities .. etc. Often the owner DC hires the receptionist (CA) and calls can come in to both. Any buildout fee is part of the overall overhead and is reflected in the rent. If you need her assistance to have it done it should be with an agreement that her rent is less but after a specific time frame you paid her back by her initial lower rent at which time it is elevated to an appropriate amount. If you can afford it .. have a set monthly rental fee .. $500-1200 a month depending on your overhead and a fair value for your having another person there. If this is impossible you can also charge a decent value set fee for renting and a percentage of 60/40 in her favor or 50/50. Be sure there is some way of checking the books or go on trust. Sharing the receptionist is okay as long as it doesnžt overburden your CA. She may wish her own phone line and number .. if this is the case she should pay for installation and sign her own contract with the phone company. Your office space is limited and will need creative arranging to set it right. If you fax me a plan with some of your ideas I can fax it back or scan it and send it back as an attachment. My fax number is 770-491-3799 be sure to note your e-mail address if you intend on doing this. Have a Great Day Dr. M