What is included when you buy a tea room?

A listing may say “turnkey”, but that word does not decide what you receive. The signed agreement does. In a tea room, much of the appeal sits in things that are easy to forget: the bookings already on the calendar, the baker down the road, the recipes in a binder. Walk the room with the seller and make a list of everything you expect to own on the first morning.

Bookings, deposits and supplier ties

If showers, parties and group teas are booked ahead, guests may have paid deposits. Ask for the forward booking list and how each deposit is handled at closing, since guests expect their event to go ahead. Do the same for tea merchants and bakeries: ask which accounts and terms carry over, and whether the supplier is willing to continue with you.

China, teaware and decor

Tea rooms rely on matching sets, teapots, stands and linens, and some pieces are the owner’s own collection. Walk through with an inventory and tick off each item. Ask what is leased, what is owned outright and what the owner plans to take. Anything that is a family piece or a loan should be named in the agreement as staying or going.

Recipes, menu and the lease

If scones and house blends bring guests back, ask for the recipes and the right to use the name and menu. Ask whether the seller will stay on to train you for a time. The lease is its own question: whether the landlord must agree to a transfer depends on the lease and the province, so your lawyer should read it early and confirm what happens to the space.

• A written list of bookings and deposits being handed over
• A named inventory of china, teaware and equipment
• Recipes, menu, name and social accounts
• Supplier accounts and any agreed handover help
• The lease, with the landlord’s consent in writing