10 Commercial Office Leasing Tips The commercial office search and lease negotiation process can be stressful and time consuming for any company. Following these tips can help to simplify the process and ensure that you receive the right space for your needs with a fair deal

2. Lease Yourself Plenty of Time
Many companies underestimate how long it will take to
find the perfect space and reach a fair rental
agreement with their prospective landlord. As a
result, they end up rushing through the process and
may miss out on the right location or end up with a
lackluster deal. Start your search process as early as
possible. Beginning the process up to a year before your intended move-in date
is wise.
The search and negotiation process for commercial real estate is much longer
and more arduous than residential real estate. Ideally, you should begin thinking
about your next move a year before your current lease is due to ensure that you
have plenty of time to locate the perfect space and negotiate a fair deal.
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When To Start Looking for Your Next Lease

3. Go With A Pro
If you truly want to get the best space for your business needs and your budget,
you need to invest plenty of hours familiarizing yourself with the market and
searching through listings to find properties that are a good match. A tenant rep
broker will take over the responsibilities for you, so you can focus on running
your business, not following the commercial real estate market.
Tenant rep brokers are invaluable assets during every phase of the office space
search and leasing process. Brokers can get you into exclusive spaces,
recommend locations that are ideal for your needs and give you an edge at the
negotiation table. Best of all, their services are paid for by landlords.
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The Importance of a Tenant Rep Broker

4. Don’t Over Rent
Get real about how much square footage you'll actually need for your company.
While it is a good idea to leave a little room for growth, over renting is a costly
mistake.
It’s also a good idea to know the difference
between usable square footage and rentable
square footage. When you are comparing
spaces between buildings, it's important that
you look at the usable square footage rather than the rentable square footage,
so that you know how much space you will actually have available. Two
buildings with equal rental square footages may have very different usable
square footage rates. In these cases, the ones with the lower common area
factors will give you more usable office space for your money.
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5. Prioritize Concessions
Before you begin negotiating, make a list of all of the concessions and perks you
hope to gain in your lease agreement. Place them into "deal breaker", "highly
desired" and "would be nice" categories so you'll know what to fight hardest for
during negotiations.
Forfeiture of rights can also be an important thing to look out for. In an ideal
world, you'd be able to move into a commercial space in good faith, believing
that your landlord would keep up their end of the terms outlined in the contract.
Unfortunately, you can encounter everything from unscrupulous landlords to
unforeseeable circumstances after you move in. If a disaster happens or your
landlord turns out to be dishonest, you need to be able to take some type of
action. That's why it's important to never sign a contract that says you waive
your legal rights to take any type of action against your landlord.
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6. Consider Time Frame Carefully
A long-term lease will give you leverage at the negotiation table and can help
you get more of those "highly desired" and "would be nice" concessions. Still, if
your company's future is uncertain, a long-term lease just may not be practical.
Ultimately, your company's needs determine the best
structure. If you need flexibility, a short lease is best.
Otherwise, long leases are typically the most
affordable option. A long lease can also
be strategic when your local real estate market is going
through a period of high vacancy. That way, you can lock in low rents while
landlords are motivated to do anything to find tenants.
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Short Vs. Long Term Leases

7. Make It a Team Effort
Consult your team before you begin looking for office space. Get input from
executives and managers to learn what they consider top priorities for your
space. Conduct a survey to find out what types of amenities your employees
would benefit from, how they commute to and from work and what types of
businesses and services they would like to have nearby their work location.
Each member of your leadership team brings a different perspective to the
search process. By involving upper management, you can ensure that the space
you choose will provide the ideal working environment for your entire team.
Involve every employee with a survey to establish what perks and amenities
matter most to everyone.
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8. Think Beyond the Building
Don't focus your attention only on the office and shared spaces within the
building. Think about the parking lot, signage and neighborhood carefully before
moving forward with any lease. It's also wise to research the other companies in
the building and to introduce yourself to the neighbors ahead of time.
Parking
Some leases will outline how many parking spaces are allotted to your team and
any visitors that might come to your office. If yours has this type of language,
assess whether or not the required number of spaces will be enough. Also, find
out if and how those spaces will be reserved for your team. Being entitled to
parking in a small lot will not do you any good if unauthorized people are not
prevented from parking in the spaces.
Signage
There is no guarantee that a landlord will provide any tenant signage. In some
areas, zoning does not permit any signage at all, leaving landlords unable to
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9. advertise the names of tenants. The number of names that can appear on a
building or marquee may also be restricted by space and size or by existing
agreements with other tenants.
Amenities
When it comes to your office space, a well-lit copy room and a water cooler
won't cut it anymore. While many of the changes in expected amenity loads are
coming from the Millennials, your CFO also plays a role. Many of these
amenities make both happy by creating an office space that is more open and
collaborative, but also more space and cost efficient.
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5 Office Amenities To Look For Space

10. Take Technology into Account
Analyze the office space through the eyes of your IT department. Is the wiring
sufficient for your network? Will you need wireless boosters for coverage
throughout the office? Are there enough plugs for
charging mobile devices and laptops located
throughout the space? Technology plays a
big role, make sure you take this into
account.
Our mobile devices, computers, automobiles and
household electronics and appliances are constantly
evolving as technology continues to advance and open
the door to new features and functionality. The
lighting fast advancement of tech is also
impacting the business world in new and exciting ways. New technologies are
even shaping commercial real estate, setting the stage for office spaces that are
more advanced than ever before.
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11. Provide Room for an Exit
If you're opting for a long-term lease, fight for some flexibility. Having the right to
sublease or assign your space or to terminate your lease early at a certain time
or under certain conditions could save you money in the future.
Liberal subletting and assignment rights can be very beneficial if you find
yourself not needing all of your available square footage or end up having to
relocate before your lease is up. These clauses guarantee you the right to offer
all or part of your space to another company.
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12. Be Willing and Able to Walk
Make sure that you have a Plan B in place even as you proceed with the rental
process. Should a prospective landlord be unwilling to provide your deal breaker
concessions, you won't have to start over from scratch if you walk away from
the table.
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Top Deal Breakers for Tenants in CRE
5 Rights That Corporate Tenants Have
Here are a few other articles to check out:
Commercial Leasing Mistakes to Avoid

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