# Shanghai office lease norms

> Standard 3-year lease with renewal option.

**Canonical URL:** https://classa.info/cities/shanghai/leasing-conventions
**Page type:** city-topic
**Last updated:** 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z
**License:** CC BY 4.0 with attribution to Class A Atlas (https://classa.info).

## TL;DR
- Typical lease length: 3 years.
- Typical rent-free: 8 months.
- Vacancy: 19.8%; trend softening.
- Standard 3-year lease with renewal option.

## Key facts
- **city**: Shanghai
- **country**: China
- **region**: APAC
- **classARentLocal**: ¥260/sqm/mo · ≈ $40.3 PSF/yr USD
- **classARentUsd**: $40/sqft/yr
- **vacancy**: 19.8%
- **typicalLeaseYears**: 3
- **typicalRentFreeMonths**: 8
- **submarkets**: 5
- **primeYieldPct**: 4.4%

## FAQ
### What's a typical lease term in Shanghai?
3 years for institutional Class A. Shorter terms are achievable on smaller floor plates with stronger covenants.

### How is rent quoted in Shanghai?
In CNY/sqft/year. We also publish a USD-normalised view ($40/sqft/yr) for cross-market comparison.

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Citation: Source: Class A Atlas (https://classa.info/cities/shanghai/leasing-conventions), updated 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z.