> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Commercial Tenants Should Use a Broker When Renewing Leases
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/in-your-20030827/
- Published: 2003-08-27T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T02:50:27.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Business, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*SPACE It’s a tenant’s market in commercial real estate*

*By Christina S. Porter*

If you have not noticed, the current leasing market officially belongs to tenants. With this in mind I contacted a client of mine to discuss the renewal of her lease, recommending that she begin negotiations early.

Her response was that she felt that she could get a better deal if a broker was not involved. On the surface this way of thinking makes sense because there are no brokerage fees for the owner to pay, making a better deal for the tenant. However, commit-ting to a lease is not something to take lightly. A lease or a lease renewal is an enormous, legally binding, financial commitment.

In most leases, there are monetary obligations not included in the monthly base rent and a variety of non-monetary obligations to consider that may or may not be negotiable, depending on market conditions. Informing a tenant about the market conditions is not the responsibility of an owner or an owner’s broker.

It’s important to make sure that you receive expert advice from a commercial real estate broker who knows your area and product type (office, retail, industrial) and is on your side, exclusively. The point is that you take your car to a mechanic, you go to a dentist and you go to an attorney for legal advice so don’t underestimate the weight of the obligation you enter into when you sign a lease.

Employing the skills of a commercial real estate professional will almost always save you money if not now, later. Some might even give you a guarantee. In regard to the legal ramifications of the terms and conditions agreed to in your lease, it’s highly recommended that you consult an attorney that has experience in real estate law and practices in your area. It’s a broker’s job to structure the most competitive deal possible. The attorney’s job is to make sure the deal structured by the broker is legally sound.

The current office leasing market is, without a doubt, a tenant’s market and now is the time to start negotiations on the releasing of your space. Don’t forget to at least consult with a qualified commercial real estate broker. If you have more than two or three years left on the term of your lease, it might be premature (but don’t assume that it is). Vacancy rates are high and owners should be very interested in a long-term commitment. Your broker can negotiate a rate (and possibly other things) lower than the one you may get later on, and the owner of your building gets a better night’s sleep. (Christina S. Porter is a senior associate at NAI Capital Commercial Real Estate, specializing in leasing and selling office and industrial buildings.)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 27, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/082703.pdf?ref=smdp.com)