London Vacant Commercial Space Fit-Out Grant

Program Description

Covers 50% of eligible fit-out costs, up to $50,000, to bring a business into a vacant commercial space in London's Core Area Community Improvement Project Area. The by-law defines a vacant space as one not currently occupied by a tenant, regardless of any lease obligation on it. A tenant, a business owner, a property owner opening a business in their own space, or an agent acting for them can apply. The program exists to reduce Core Area vacancy and establish viable new businesses in street-level commercial space.

Eligibility Requirements

• The applicant may be the property owner, a business owner or tenant occupying the space, or an authorized agent acting for them, including a contractor retained to do the improvements. A tenant applicant needs a lease of at least 2 years. An owner/occupier opening a business in their own vacant space has that requirement waived and files an annual report instead, confirming the business remains open and the space occupied as a targeted use.
• The space must be vacant, meaning not currently occupied by a tenant, regardless of any lease obligation on it. City staff visit the property before and after the work to verify it.
• A complete application must be received and a City Commitment Letter issued before any work can start. The program does not apply retroactively to work completed before the guidelines took effect.
• Targeted commercial uses only: arts and culture, music and creative industry, entertainment including cinemas and live theatre but not adult entertainment, restaurants, coffee houses and cafes, niche or destination retail, office uses above the first floor, grocery stores, specialty food retailers and delicatessens, uses serving Core Area residents or employees, and tourism uses. Final determination of use eligibility rests with the City.
• Any City of London loans on the property must be in good standing with no arrears owing, and there must be no City of London Building Division orders, deficiencies or by-law infractions on the property, unless the grant is for eligible works that address those deficiencies.
• A business already in the Core Area that relocates must move to a space LARGER than its current one, and must supply the square footage of both the current and the proposed premises. The City's summary page still shows the older 'Downtown' wording; the by-law governs.
• Where the work needs a building permit, the grant application must be submitted at the same time as the building permit application, and the cost estimates must be consistent with the estimate on the permit.
• One grant per discrete building, ever. This is a one-time grant, and a separate application is required for each discrete building.
• A grant commitment is valid for one year from the date of the Commitment Letter and expires if the work is not completed in that time. The City may grant one written extension of up to a year, at its discretion, on written request.