Its impossible finding a good workshop

[Milk]

more of a rant than anything but for ages ive been looking for a workshop / unit, nothing fancy and nothing huge. just a couple cars and tools. the issue I can't rent one through a agent so am looking around at private rentals. 

 

Ive been looking online from various sources and even gone driving around farms and industrial estates asking about but still no luck. ive even searches ages away from Leeds in the middle of nowhere and yet again no luck.

[rickvw72]

I’ve got one on a farm, although the rent is 500 a month. Depends what your budget is I would guess. I think my mate paid 120 a month on a council garage though, without power.

Good places to look I find are obviously farms, but also any local old mills, or former works sites. Often the various buildings are divided up after a works closure, and usually have power, space and solid floors etc. Be prepared to build your own facilities, or refurbish whatever you take on.

Mine is well equipped  as I ran it as a business in the past, so aquired a lot of kit along the way. Keep looking, there out there. I’d consider mine cheap at 500 a month though. 

[Milk]

id happily have something a similar size to yours and share with another person to keep costs down as that is overkill for me. im also happy to refurbish or build in what's needed.

 

that is a steal at 500

[rickvw72]

Mine is good value I believe, but there are others out there.

I found the website box pod to be useful when looking.

I was the first to take a workshop on at my location, after mad cow demolished livestock farms, and I have the only one the (massively wealthy) land lord sees from his house, so have always kept it decent looking outside. It’s helped me build a good relationship with the landlord, and it’s helped keep the cost down I’d guess.

 

[Milk]

I didn’t know about boxpod. Presuming it has private landlords on? Il have a nosey. No matter where I am I’d have to keep both inside and outside somewhat presentable otherwise I can’t find anything 

[sierraman]

Unless you’ve a proper going business a landlord will probably be reluctant to rent to you because he’ll be wondering if you are running some fly by night chop shop or if you’ll be revving the bollocks off cars night and day and generally getting on peoples tits. There’s nothing worse than old cars for attracting this kind of carry on. 

[Heidel_Kakao]

They are out there. We pay £500 per month for a three bay wide unit and outside parking. We installed the two post lift ourselves.

[Tepper]

You should be alright up where you are surely, seemed like there were loads of old industrial buildings around Bradford for the year I was there. I guess it depends what side of Leeds you're on. Your approach of driving around and asking at likely places is probably your best bet, but it'll take a while. It took literally years of me asking at every farm I got sent to for work to find something, but in the end we found somewhere good. Helps to be polite and have a decent chat with the farmer if you can. Good luck!

[dollywobbler]

I found mine on Facebook market place. £300 but it's not entirely weather proof. Still better than nowt. I spent MONTHS looking.

[sierraman]

38 minutes ago, Tepper said:

You should be alright up where you are surely, seemed like there were loads of old industrial buildings around Bradford for the year I was there. I guess it depends what side of Leeds you're on. Your approach of driving around and asking at likely places is probably your best bet, but it'll take a while. It took literally years of me asking at every farm I got sent to for work to find something, but in the end we found somewhere good. Helps to be polite and have a decent chat with the farmer if you can. Good luck!

Also a lot of cars stolen to order for parts in West Yorkshire so that’s why they’ll be wary of people. Farmers, can be a bit funny, they’ll either like the look of you or they won’t. If they suspect in any way you’ll be a nuisance or having half of the county up at the weekend for car repairs they’ll likely tell you to get lost. 

[warch]

It cuts both ways with farmers. Having someone trustworthy in the yard all day is handy from a security point of view, lots of farms are run almost singlehandedly so the place is deserted for long periods of time. On the other hand farmers may not want a constant stream of people they don't know coming into their yard, checking out what equipment they have or where the diesel tanks are located. 

 

[Milk]

I think in my area there is a lot of car and van thefts which makes owners or places weary about what I’m up to.

 

 

[Timewaster]

There were quite a few council owned workshops available round here when I was a kid. 

Lots of little businesses, mower repairs, car workshops, carpenters, little one man manufacturing workshops, all at sensible rents. 

All flattened and crappy houses in their place now. 

All that seems to be available now are serviced offices or modern £2k a month industrial units. 

[Dave_Q]

Agree that there must be an old mill building or something with a suitable cash landlord.

I used to live near this place and it had a sign up with a mobile number on to ring about empty units.

10 Britannia Rd
https://maps.app.goo.gl/wGMxziTae1tMEc397

Batley, Dewsbury etc are full of old mill complexes like that and there will deffo be empty units but they probably won't advertise online.

Get out and about and scout locations that already have car bits and breakers yards etc, find empty units and chat to their neighbours to get the landlords details.

[Milk]

@Dave_Qil check out the area when I’m passing next . Like I said I don’t needs spacious or fancy so hopefully I find something 

[Dave_Q]

I'd you're in Leeds Dewsbury isn't that far, Mill street east/west which is behind Asda and Sainsburys has quite a few old mills, have been there to buy bits off eBay breakers before. Also round here heading up Bradford road towards Batley are a few breakers yards and mills.

130 Bradford Rd
https://maps.app.goo.gl/CNesj3QNHwyv3rYp8

[Milk]

In pass through batley often so il have a nosey over there. I presume you live in the area knowing all these spots to check out ?

[Dave_Q]

I live in Brighouse but been to all these places buying parts.

If they already have garages and breakers in the same building/area its probably a good sign.

[Milk]

Brighouse is like 5 mins away from me! And yes it’s a good sign and I presume most breakers working from them rent the space somehow 

 

 

[Bren]

Chop shops and cannabis farms make things more tricky sadly.

[somewhatfoolish]

Dob them in to the bizzies = vacancies. Trebles all round!

[Milk]

You might be in to something @somewhatfoolish

[somewhatfoolish]

You ain't seen me, roight?

You ain't seen me........ right (1) - YouTube

[straightSix]

I'm in the same position, been looking on and off for probably years now. Found one suitable place but it was gone as soon as the advert went up. And long waiting lists for council garages unfortunately. Jealous of some of the units on here!

[Milk]

@straightSixdepending where your at we could team up looking for a spot and go half on it? Or if you are a million miles away try find someone closer.

I’d do that but I most of my friends are music people and not car people 

[Mrcento]

I've long stopped looking for a unit near me.

Been looking for over 10 years (yes, years) and the prices are just utterly mental, and only getting worse. It's now pretty much the same price to rent a 5 or 6 bedroom house that comes with a garden and its own 2 or 3 car garage than it is to hire a unit 2-3 cars ins size so makes no sense.

[Milk]

@Mrcentoautoshite shared housing? Could be on to something. 
 

the only time I had a garage was my rented house from uni

[1duck]

Batley and Dewsbury should be a paradise for this sort of thing, the reality is that it strangely isn't. My friend does car bodywork and wanted to set up as a one man shop as he was sick of working for dealerships and he really struggled to find a unit. He said most places would knock him back the minute the word car left his lips. 

Speaking of dealerships the vauxhalls dealership has gone bust in Dewsbury and their site has been empty/to let for over a year. I dread to think what they want for rent though.

All the decent sized Mills have been converted to flats years back, the few scabby ones left have difficult access or wouldn't be suitable for garages. Then whatever is left is occupied by bed manufacturing companies.

The scrap yard off Bradford Road (they were part of Morley waste traders) was for sale last time I went past it, if they'd rent to you that would be ideal. It's a decent sized walled compound and I can't see anyone else being interested in it. 

[sutty2006]

I must be really lucky renting my unit for just under £150 a month. Space for 5 cars (converted cowshed with a roller shutter door and power). Concrete floor.  Can get a bit moist in there with condensation though. Again, it’s on a farm, that is operating as a business so it’s all legit, just a few fields nearby with the occasional cow or sheep in it. All the out buildings are now units, and it’s enough income to pay the owners mortgage so he’s happy. Sometimes word of mouth is the best way to find somewhere. 

[1duck]

This is the former scrap yard I mentioned, comes with a big building plus 0.2 acre? Might be worth a call see what they say.