Guidance notes for joint costs in office and industrial buildings

We are issuing these Guidance Notes in order to provide common guidelines and a unified interpretation as to what constitutes joint costs for office and industrial buildings and how these shall be apportioned. Both the lessor and the lessee will thereby be provided with as complete an overview of the practical and financial implications of the lease as possible.

The Guidance Notes are intended to reflect best practice. Besides, the Guidance Notes will serve to ensure that specific situations arising in relation to the daily operation of the property are addressed in conformity with the guidelines, and will thus serve to inhibit conflict.

The first version of the Guidance Notes was published in 2016 and a Court of Appeal judgment from 2021 shows that the court uses the guide in legal disputes.

Norsk Eiendom has, together with Norges Eiendomsmeglerforbund(the Norwegian Real Estate Agents Association) and Forum for Næringsmeglere (the Forum for Commercial Real Estate Agents), for many years been developing and refining a set of standard leases for office and industrial premises (the Standard Leases).

The Standard Leases regulate the term ”joint costs” in a sound manner. The Guidance Notes are not intended to change the substance of the Standard Leases in any respect. The Guidance Notes are based on the version entitled Standard Lease for Office and Industrial Premises (used/«as is» premises), 7th edition, 05/22 (the Lease), and will not necessarily be applicable to other versions of the Standard Leases.

The Guidance Notes have been prepared in collaboration with Advokatfirmaet Føyen AS.