---
title: "Shanghai office lease norms"
description: "Lease structure, term length, concessions, and the unwritten rules of leasing Class A office in Shanghai."
canonical: https://classa.info/cities/shanghai/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)."
---

> Standard 3-year lease with renewal option.

## TL;DR

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

# Shanghai office lease norms

**Standard 3-year lease with [renewal](/topics/lease-renewal-strategy) option.**

## TL;DR

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

## Structure

Standard 3-year lease with renewal option. Rent gross of management fees but exclusive of utilities. [Bank guarantee](/glossary/bank-guarantee) or [rent deposit](/glossary/rent-deposit) of 3-6 months standard. [Reinstatement](/glossary/reinstatement) at lease-end is contractual.

## 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 | 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%|

## Frequently asked questions

****What's a typical lease term in Shanghai?****
: 3 years for institutional [Class A](/glossary/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.

## Editorial provenance

Reviewed by [**Kenji Watanabe**](/about/authors/kenji-watanabe) — APAC contributing editor. 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/shanghai/leasing-conventions), updated 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z.