{
  "url": "https://classa.info/topics/class-a-lease-negotiation",
  "title": "Class A Lease Negotiation",
  "description": "How to negotiate a Class A office lease — the playbook from LOI to signed deal.",
  "oneSentenceAnswer": "Class A lease negotiation is won in the LOI: lock in effective rent, free rent, TI allowance, escalators, options, and exit rights before the long-form lease drafting begins.",
  "tldr": [
    "Always negotiate to effective rent, not headline.",
    "The LOI is where 80% of value is captured — lease drafting is execution.",
    "Free-rent abatement is the most negotiable single line item.",
    "Tenant improvement allowance (TIA) is the second most negotiable.",
    "Options to extend, expansion rights, and termination rights are the third front.",
    "Bring two real bids; landlords negotiate harder when you can walk.",
    "Negotiate opex caps, base-year gross-ups, and audit rights — not just rent."
  ],
  "faqs": [
    {
      "question": "Should I sign the LOI before the lease is drafted?",
      "answer": "Yes — but only after every economic and structural concession is captured. Anything missing from the LOI is unlikely to make the long-form."
    },
    {
      "question": "How much free rent is typical?",
      "answer": "1–1.5 months per lease year in US Class A. In lease-up product or soft markets, 2 months per lease year is achievable."
    },
    {
      "question": "Is the TI allowance in cash or in-kind?",
      "answer": "Negotiate cash. Cash gives you vendor control and prevents landlord-favored markups on construction line items."
    },
    {
      "question": "What is the single biggest mistake?",
      "answer": "Negotiating to face rent instead of effective rent. Two deals with the same headline rent can have a 30%+ gap once concessions are modeled."
    },
    {
      "question": "How long does a Class A lease negotiation take?",
      "answer": "12–20 weeks from RFP issuance to fully signed lease for a typical 50,000–150,000 sf US Class A deal."
    },
    {
      "question": "Do I need a tenant rep broker?",
      "answer": "Yes. Landlords pay both sides; not engaging tenant rep does not save fees, it just gives the landlord uncontested control of the negotiation."
    }
  ],
  "keyFacts": {
    "spokeGuides": 6,
    "spokeGlossary": 15,
    "spokeTools": 3,
    "cityCoverage": 123
  },
  "pageType": "topic-pillar",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-05-29T16:17:29.065Z",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0 with attribution to Class A Atlas (https://classa.info).",
  "citation": "Source: Class A Atlas (https://classa.info/topics/class-a-lease-negotiation), updated 2026-05-29T16:17:29.065Z."
}