Last updated: 24 April 2026
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Most prospective pub licensees walk into a viewing and see potential, not problems. You see a busy Friday night; you don’t see the dodgy plumbing behind the bar that’ll cost you three grand to fix in month two. You see a nice corner spot; you don’t think about the extractor hood that’s about to fail its fire safety certificate. By the time you sign a tenancy agreement, those problems become yours—and many are non-negotiable under tied agreements.
Taking on Teal Farm Pub in Washington three years ago taught me that viewing a pub is nothing like buying a house. You don’t have the same protections, you don’t have unlimited time to inspect, and the pubco isn’t legally obliged to disclose every issue. What you see on viewing day is your only real chance to ask hard questions before you’re financially liable for everything inside those four walls. This checklist covers the 25 things I wish someone had given me before my first viewing—the structural stuff, the financial red flags, and the operational questions that actually matter.
Key Takeaways
- Always request the Schedule of Condition before viewing so you understand what condition issues are your responsibility from day one.
- Ask for three years of accounts and real takings records—the pubco’s profit forecast is aspirational, not guaranteed, and you need to verify the actual trading history.
- Check the extractor hood, the cellar temperature, the till system age, and the food safety rating before you leave the site; these are costly if they fail immediately after you take over.
- Get clarity in writing on the tie, acceptable tie suppliers, and what items are free of tie—vague terms in the lease create cash flow problems fast.
The Building and Structure
1. Roof and Damp
Walk outside and look at the roof. If you see missing tiles, patched areas, or areas that look darker or discoloured, that’s a water ingress issue waiting to happen. Ask the pubco when the roof was last surveyed or replaced. Don’t accept “a few years ago”—get dates. Inside, check the ceilings and walls in the upstairs (if there is one) and in the cellar. Any soft patches, staining, or smell of damp? That’s money walking out the door. Damp remediation in a pub can cost between £5,000 and £15,000+, and it’s your responsibility once you sign.
2. Cellar Temperature and Humidity
The most overlooked thing on a pub viewing is cellar temperature control. If the cellar isn’t holding 12-14°C, your beer quality suffers immediately, and you lose money on waste and complaints. Bring a thermometer. Check the temperature on the day. Ask when the cooling system was last serviced. If the answer is “I don’t know,” or worse, if there’s no cooling system at all, factor in £3,000-£5,000 for installation or repair.
3. Water Damage or Structural Cracks
Look at the walls, especially in the corners and near doorways. Fine hairline cracks are normal; wide cracks or cracks that run diagonally across walls suggest structural movement. Ask about any subsidence surveys. If the answer is evasive, get a surveyor involved before you commit.
4. Electrics and Rewiring
Ask when the electrics were last inspected and certified by a qualified electrician. UK regulations require an electrical safety certificate (EICR) every five years for commercial properties. If they can’t produce a recent certificate, that’s a red flag. A full rewire in a pub can cost £8,000-£12,000+.
5. Gas Safety
If the pub has gas (cookers, heating, water heating), ask for the gas safety certificate. It must be current and must be completed by a Gas Safe registered engineer. This is non-negotiable. If they can’t show you a current certificate, walk away from the viewing until they can.
The Bar Setup and Equipment
6. Till System Age and Compatibility
Ask what till system is currently in use and when it was installed. If it’s more than five years old, budget for a replacement. A lot of prospective licensees think their current till works fine—but most older tills aren’t compatible with modern payment processors, don’t integrate with inventory systems, and lack the reporting capability you need to run a modern pub. When evaluating older equipment, check if it can send sales data to a best pub EPOS systems guide so you actually understand your margins and labour costs. A new till system costs between £1,200 and £2,500 depending on setup complexity.
7. Keg and Cask System
How many lines are there? Are they stainless steel or old copper? Old copper lines need replacing because they trap bacteria and affect beer quality. Ask about keg space in the cellar and how the system is set up. If you plan to offer cask ale and the landlord has only been running kegs, you’ll need to factor in additional lines and training.
8. Pumps, Nozzles and Dispense Equipment
Test every pump. Ask how old they are and when they were last serviced. If a pump fails after you take over, you can’t dispense that product until it’s fixed—dead money on a Friday night. Budget £300-£500 to replace a pump.
9. Ice Machine
Does the pub have one? Is it working? When was it last serviced? An ice machine breakdown in summer is a nightmare. A new machine costs £800-£2,000 depending on capacity.
10. Fridges and Cold Storage
Check every fridge in the bar and the kitchen. Open them, feel the temperature, look for ice buildup or condensation issues. Old commercial fridges use expensive repair parts and break down frequently. A replacement walk-in fridge or bar cooler costs £2,000-£5,000+.
11. Beer Fonts and Taps
Inspect the beer fonts—the decorative tap heads. Branded fonts are usually tied to specific breweries or suppliers. If you want to switch suppliers under your tied agreement, you may need to replace these. Clarify with the pubco what happens to branded fonts if you switch brands.
The Food Operation
12. Extractor Hood and Ventilation
This is critical. The extractor hood must pass fire safety regulations. Ask when it was last cleaned professionally, when the filters were last replaced, and when it was last safety-tested. If the pub serves hot food and the hood fails inspection after you take over, you can’t legally operate the kitchen. Hood cleaning costs £400-£800 per clean; a new hood system costs £2,500-£6,000+.
13. Cookers, Fryers and Kitchen Equipment
If the pub serves food, walk into the kitchen and test the equipment. Are the cookers working? The fryer? How old is the equipment? Ask when things were last serviced. Broken kitchen equipment in week one kills your food sales and forces you to lose money ordering outside food or closing the kitchen temporarily.
14. Food Safety Rating
Check the Food Standards Agency hygiene rating. Go to the FSA website and search for the pub’s postcode. If the rating is below 4 stars, ask why. A low rating isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker—many pubs improve quickly under new management—but you need to understand what caused it and whether you can fix it.
15. Food Storage and Prep Areas
If there’s a separate food prep area, check it. Is there separate handwashing? Is there space to prep food properly? Are there pest control traps in place? Ask about pest control contracts.
Finance and Profitability Red Flags
16. Three Years of Accounts
Before you view, ask the pubco for the last three years of P&L (profit and loss) statements. Not their profit forecast—their actual accounts. A forecast is what they think the pub should make; accounts are what it actually made. If they won’t provide real accounts, that’s a warning sign. Use a pub profit margin calculator to benchmark what the pub has actually earned against similar-sized venues. If the takings are declining year-on-year, you need to understand why before you commit.
17. Actual Takings Records
Ask for till roll data or till reports for the last 12 weeks. Not a summary—actual daily takings. This shows you the trading pattern. Is it consistent? Does it drop off midweek? Does it spike on event nights? This tells you far more than an annual average.
18. Rent and Profit Share Terms
Get the exact rent figure in writing. Ask if there’s a profit share element, and if so, how is it calculated? Is it on takings or profit? What’s the threshold before profit share kicks in? Under a Marston’s CRP (Community Rent Partnership), rent is typically calculated using Fair Maintainable Trade—a formula based on what the pubco thinks the pub should make, not what it actually makes. Push back on this. If the figure seems high relative to recent actual takings, negotiate.
19. Tied Discounts and Margins
Ask what margin you make on tied products (beer, cider, spirits, soft drinks). A typical pub margin on draught beer is 40-55%. Spirits vary by type. If you’re being offered margins below 40%, you’re being squeezed. Also ask about case discounts or volume bonuses—sometimes the pubco offers rebates if you hit certain volume targets. Get these in writing.
20. Staffing Costs and Historical Labour %
Ask the current or previous licensee (if possible) what their staff costs were as a percentage of takings. The UK benchmark for labour is 25-30% of revenue, but I run Teal Farm at 15% labour cost because of how I’ve structured shifts and training. Don’t assume you’ll hit 25% immediately—budget for 30-35% in year one while you learn the operation. A busy 180-cover pub like Teal Farm has different labour dynamics than a 80-cover village local.
Legal, Compliance and Tie Questions
21. The Tie and Free of Tie Products
Your tied agreement specifies which products you must buy from the pubco and which you can buy freely. Usually beer, cider, and spirits are tied. Soft drinks, snacks, and crisps may be free of tie. Get absolute clarity on this before signing. Ask for a written list of tied categories and approved free-of-tie suppliers. Vague language (“you must source beer from the pubco but may buy soft drinks elsewhere”) creates cash flow problems when the pubco later disputes your suppliers.
22. Acceptable Tie Suppliers
Even if something is theoretically “free of tie,” the pubco may require you to use approved suppliers. Ask for a list. If the list is restrictive (e.g., only two soft drink suppliers), you have less negotiating power on price. Get this in writing before you sign.
23. Schedule of Condition
This is the inventory of the property condition and fixtures at the start of your tenancy. You are responsible for returning the property in the same condition at the end of your tenancy, minus reasonable wear and tear. The pubco should provide this before you view. If they won’t, insist on one being created during your first week. Without it, disputes at the end of your tenancy are guaranteed.
24. Dilapidations Clause and Responsibility
Ask who’s responsible for structural repairs vs. cosmetic repairs. Typically, major structural issues (roof, walls, foundations) are the pubco’s responsibility; decoration and internal fixtures are yours. But this varies by lease. Clarify this before you sign, because a £5,000 roof repair suddenly appearing in month three can kill your profitability.
25. Break Clauses and Termination Terms
How long is the initial tenancy? Is there a break clause? Can you exit early if the business fails or personal circumstances change? Most tied tenancies are five years with no break clause. Some pubcos offer break clauses at year three. Understand your exit route before you commit, because a failed pub tenancy will affect your credit rating and your ability to get another lease.
What to Do After the Viewing
Get Everything in Writing
After the viewing, follow up with the pubco in writing with a summary of what you’ve discussed. Include any promises made, timescales for repairs, and clarifications on the tie and margins. Email it to your Business Development Manager (BDM) and ask them to confirm in writing. This creates a paper trail. Verbal promises mean nothing when disputes arise.
Use a Surveyor
If you’re seriously considering the pub, hire a surveyor to do a full structural survey. It costs £400-£700 but saves you from catastrophic surprises. A surveyor can spot damp, structural issues, and failing systems that you can’t. Get a copy of the surveyor’s report before you commit to the lease.
Get Legal Advice
Before you sign any lease, have a solicitor review it. Tied pub leases are heavily weighted toward the pubco. A solicitor familiar with pub tenancies (not a general high street solicitor) can flag non-standard clauses and negotiate improvements. It costs £500-£1,000 but is worth every penny.
Work Out Your Numbers
Once you have three years of accounts and understand the tied costs, use a Pub Command Centre to model your profitability. Plug in the rent, the tied margins, the historical takings, and your expected labour costs. If the numbers don’t stack up, don’t take the pub. The pubco will have sold you on potential; the maths will tell you if potential is real.
As you prepare to take on a pub, remember that is running a pub right for you is a question you need to answer before you even view the first site. But once you’re in the viewing process, this checklist protects you from signing a lease that’s fundamentally broken before you start.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Schedule of Condition in a pub tenancy?
A Schedule of Condition is an inventory and photographic record of the pub’s condition at the start of your tenancy. You are responsible for returning it in the same condition at the end of your lease, minus fair wear and tear. Without one, disputes over damage costs and dilapidations are nearly impossible to resolve fairly. Always insist on one being created before you take over.
How much should I budget for equipment failures in my first year?
Budget 5-10% of your working capital for unexpected equipment failure. A till system might need replacing (£1,500-£2,500), a pump could fail (£300-£500), or the extractor hood might need emergency cleaning (£400-£800). I’ve seen new licensees caught off-guard by a £2,000 fridge failure in month two. Have cash reserves ready.
Can I negotiate the rent before I sign a tied pub tenancy?
Yes, always. Don’t accept the first figure. If recent accounts show the pub trades at £8,000 per week and the rent is calculated on Fair Maintainable Trade of £10,000, challenge it. Ask for the calculation to be explained and for it to be benchmarked against comparable pubs in your area. Pubcos expect negotiation on rent.
What should I ask about the beer tie and free of tie products?
Get a written list showing exactly which products are tied (you must buy from the pubco) and which are free of tie (you can buy elsewhere). Ask about margin percentages on tied products. If beer margin is below 40%, negotiate. If soft drinks are “free of tie but only from approved suppliers,” ask for that approved list. Vague terms will cause problems later.
Should I get a surveyor before viewing a pub?
No—survey after you’ve narrowed down to one or two serious options. But before you sign a lease, definitely get a professional surveyor in. They cost £400-£700 and can identify structural issues, failing systems, and damp that you won’t spot. This is a non-negotiable step if you’re committing to a five-year lease.
You’ve now got a checklist to spot obvious problems on a viewing—but most new licensees still miss the numbers.
Your EPOS tells you what sold. Your Pub Command Centre tells you whether you made money—real-time labour %, VAT liability and cash position. Before you sign anything, know your numbers. £97 once, no monthly fees.
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