Fit-out

What a plug-and-play office should include

Desks, cabins, AC, power backup and internet: what to check before you sign for a ready office, and why it costs more.

Updated 13 Oct 2026By S N Enterprises4 min read

In short

A standard Grade A rent buys a warm shell: AC plant, lifts, power backup to the floor. Desks, cabins and cabling are yours to build.
A plug-and-play office has the interiors done; check what's actually included, item by item.
A mid-level fit-out costs around ₹5,800 a sq ft in Chennai, which is why a ready office rents for more.

In this guide

Warm shell or plug-and-play
The checklist
What it costs, and who restores it
Questions

Warm shell or plug-and-play

A warm shell is the building ready for interiors: watertight, with central AC infrastructure, lifts, wiring to the floor, power and backup, and plumbing. The tenant builds the office inside. A plug-and-play office has that done: furniture, cabins, low-side AC, cabling, pantry. You bring laptops.

See the plug-and-play offices SNE has now.

The checklist

Workstations: how many, and of what size; cabins and meeting rooms
Low-side AC on every room, and the hours it runs
Power backup: what share the DG covers, and a UPS for the desks
Cabling, and whether you can bring your own internet provider
Pantry, washrooms, a server or store room
Fire detection, sprinklers and extinguishers in date
CCTV and access control
Car parks allotted to you, and signage

What it costs, and who restores it

Cushman & Wakefield's 2026 fit-out guide puts an all-in Chennai office fit-out (furniture, mechanical and electrical, builder works, AV and IT) at about USD 35 / 65 / 125 a sq ft for basic, mid and advanced specifications: roughly ₹5,800 a sq ft at mid level. Putting a space back as it was costs around ₹750 a sq ft. In a plug-and-play office the owner has spent this, and recovers it in the rent.

Ask who pays to restore the space when you leave, and get it in writing. Electricity is billed at the commercial tariff, which Tamil Nadu raised about 3.16% from July 2025; car parks beyond your allotment are usually charged extra.