---
title: "San José office lease norms"
description: "Lease structure, term length, concessions, and the unwritten rules of leasing Class A office in San José."
canonical: https://classa.info/cities/san-jose-cr/leasing-conventions
pageType: city-topic
lastUpdated: 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z
license: "CC BY 4.0 with attribution to Class A Atlas (https://classa.info)."
---

> Costa Rican gross structure (rent inclusive of management fees).

## TL;DR

- Typical lease length: 5 years.
- Typical rent-free: 6 months.
- Vacancy: 12.4%; trend rising.
- Costa Rican gross structure (rent inclusive of management fees).

# San José office lease norms

**Costa Rican gross structure (rent inclusive of management fees).**

## TL;DR

- Typical lease length: 5 years.
- Typical rent-free: 6 months.
- Vacancy: 12.4%; trend rising.
- Costa Rican gross structure (rent inclusive of management fees).

## Structure

Costa Rican gross structure (rent inclusive of management fees). USD-denominated for [Class A](/glossary/class-a) typically. 5-year terms standard. Rent-free of 4-8 months on 5-year terms plus USD 100-300/sqm TI typical.

## Negotiating levers

Free rent and TI remain the most negotiable line items; landlords prefer concessions to face-rent cuts because they preserve [headline rent](/glossary/headline-rent) and implied valuation. Always model [effective rent](/glossary/effective-rent) (face minus PV of concessions).

## Key facts

| city | San José|
| country | Costa Rica|
| region | Americas|
| classARentLocal | $240/sqm/yr · ≈ $22.3 PSF/yr USD|
| classARentUsd | $22/sqft/yr|
| vacancy | 12.4%|
| typicalLeaseYears | 5|
| typicalRentFreeMonths | 6|
| submarkets | 5|
| primeYieldPct | 7.4%|

## Frequently asked questions

****What's a typical lease term in San José?****
: 5 years for institutional Class A. Shorter terms are achievable on smaller floor plates with stronger covenants.

****How is rent quoted in San José?****
: In USD/sqft/year. We also publish a USD-normalised view ($22/sqft/yr) for cross-market comparison.

## Editorial provenance

Reviewed by [**Class A Atlas Editorial Desk**](/about/authors/class-a-atlas-editorial-desk) — House byline · global editorial team. Last updated 2026-04-15. See our [methodology](/about/methodology) and [editorial standards](/about/editorial-standards).

### Primary sources for this page

- [CBRE Marketview reports](https://www.cbre.com/insights) — CBRE
- [JLL Office Insight](https://www.jll.com/en/trends-and-insights) — JLL
- [Cushman & Wakefield Marketbeat](https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/insights) — Cushman & Wakefield
- [Savills World Research](https://www.savills.com/research_articles/) — Savills
- [Colliers Global Office Outlook](https://www.colliers.com/en/research) — Colliers

[Full sources index](/about/sources) · [Submit a correction](/about/corrections)

## Related topics

- [**Class A Lease Negotiation**](/topics/class-a-lease-negotiation) — How to negotiate a Class A office lease — the playbook from LOI to signed deal.
- [**APAC Lease Conventions**](/topics/apac-lease-conventions) — How APAC office lease conventions differ from US/UK — and how to translate before signing.

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