Start at 12 months out, not 60 days
Renewal leverage comes from having alternatives. The earlier you start, the more options you have, the better your terms — even if you ultimately stay.
Validate market rent
- Pull comparable lease rates in your submarket
- Compare net vs gross rate, escalations, and operating cost structure
- Adjust for loading, yard, clear height, and power realities of your building
- Get a written market rent read from a broker who is not your landlord's broker
Audit your current building
- Functional loading vs your actual use
- Real clear height vs advertised
- Power adequate for current and 5-year operations
- Parking sufficient for staff and customer trips
- Yard or storage outside the building
- Operating cost trajectory and capex obligations
Map your alternatives
Even if you intend to stay, run a real market search. Visit two or three plausible options. Get pricing. This is leverage, not betrayal — landlords expect it.
Negotiate from a position of clarity
- Free rent or tenant improvement allowance
- Rate vs term tradeoff
- Expansion rights
- Termination rights or right of first refusal on adjacent space
- Right to sublet or assign
- Renewal options at fair market value
"Most tenants leave 6 to 18 months of free rent on the table by renewing in a hurry."
Document the decision
Either way you go, write down the math. Why you stayed (or moved). What you negotiated. What you gave up. This becomes your baseline for the next renewal cycle.
Take the next step
We will give you a clear view of the market before your renewal conversation. Confidential.
Get a Renewal Read