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Find the Right Fit for Your Business
Updated for 2026 • Tenant-focused advocacy • Commercial leasing and negotiation
Why Tenant Representation Matters
Many companies begin their real estate search by browsing online listings or calling the number on a sign. What they may not realize is that the person who responds usually represents the landlord, and their responsibility is to secure the best outcome for the building owner.
Most companies do not realize that the first broker they speak with usually represents the landlord, not the tenant. That can limit available options and weaken negotiating power before the process even starts.
For many businesses a better option can be to work with a professional whose role is to advocate for your interests throughout the search and leasing process. In residential real estate, this is similar to working with a buyer’s agent when purchasing a home. In commercial real estate, that professional is called a tenant representative.
A tenant rep helps companies understand the market, compare alternatives, and negotiate terms that protect their financial and operational goals. They create leverage and provide clarity for tenants who would otherwise be navigating a complex commercial real estate search and lease process alone or relying on landlord controlled information. Working with a tenant rep strengthens negotiation leverage and improves access to concessions that many tenants miss when searching alone.
What Is Tenant Representation?
A tenant representative (tenant rep) is a licensed commercial real estate professional who works on behalf of the business leasing or purchasing space (the tenant). Their value extends far beyond just finding listings. An effective tenant rep helps you:
- Identify and qualify properties that fit your size, budget, location, and operational needs
- Benchmark rents, concessions, and total occupancy cost (TOC)
- Coordinate tours and help you understand the strengths and trade offs of each option
- Create competitive leverage between landlords
- Structure and negotiate deal terms to support your business goals
- Identify risk factors and hidden costs early
- Support renewals, expansions, or relocations as your business evolves
With data driven benchmarking and local expertise, tenant reps help businesses compare total occupancy cost across options with confidence.
Why Finding the Right Tenant Rep Can Be Difficult
Sometimes it seems that commercial real estate brokers are everywhere with listing signs on most buildings. But that does not mean the first broker you reach or the sign on the building you call is the best fit for your business. Many tenants struggle with:
- Not knowing which brokers specialize in tenant representation
- Finding a broker who works in the correct submarket and space type sector
- Connecting with a broker that has a background to support your type of business
Commercial real estate brokers have areas of focus and the right broker for one tenant is certainly not always the best for another. TenantBase works to solve this by helping companies match with tenant rep brokers who align with their search criteria:
- Size requirements
- Budget
- Timeline
- Industry
- Space type
- Submarket coverage
This simple process helps cut through significant time and frustration, and ensures that the person guiding you understands your needs and your market.
The Hidden Cost of Going Without a Tenant Rep
Navigating a commercial lease without representation can result in higher long term costs and weaker negotiation outcomes, not to mention time wasted. Common risks include:
- Higher total occupancy costs
- Missed tenant improvement (TI) opportunities
- Unfavorable escalation structures
- Reduced leverage during renewals
- Increased risk from unclear lease language or undisclosed operating expenses
- Limited visibility into market availability or upcoming options
- Accepting landlord favorable terms without realizing it
These issues usually surface because no one is responsible for advocating on behalf of the tenant and providing guidance throughout the deal process and lifecycle of the lease.
How to Choose the Right Tenant Rep
When choosing a tenant rep, look for someone who:
- Expresses a desire to work with you and is focused on providing great service
- Understands your space type and has experience with similar use cases
- Has active experience in your submarket
- Analyzes data to benchmark concessions and rent
- Communicates clearly and consistently
- Has recent tenant side success stories
- Understands your operations, team growth, and timeline
An effective tenant rep blends market expertise with strategic thinking to provide greater clarity for tenants throughout the process.
Red Flags to Watch For
Make sure you are getting clear messaging from a broker and their role in your process. You may not be working with a tenant rep on your behalf if any of the following occur:
- They only show properties listed by their firm
- They rush the process or push for quick decisions
- They avoid discussing their compensation
- They do not ask about long term business plans
- They cannot articulate a negotiation strategy
Tenant representation should be transparent and aligned with your business goals.
Checklist: Questions to Ask a Tenant Rep
- Do you exclusively represent tenants or also landlords?
- What is your process from first meeting to lease signing?
- How do you benchmark rent and concessions?
- How do you evaluate total occupancy cost?
- What concessions are common in this submarket?
- How many similar deals have you completed recently?
- How are you compensated?
- What is your negotiation strategy for a tenant of our size?
How the TenantBase Platform Works With Tenant Reps
TenantBase combines technology, listing data, and local tenant rep expertise to improve the leasing experience from beginning to end.
- Search listings online. Explore commercial listings filtered by size, budget, location, and property type. TenantBase maintains listings through integration with local market professionals.
- Connect with a local tenant rep. Get matched with a local tenant rep who specializes in the submarket and asset class you are searching in. Their expertise drives a more informed search process while saving you time.
- Tour and evaluate options. Your rep coordinates tours and helps you evaluate each option using criteria such as layout, usability, buildout potential, parking and access, operating costs, existing improvements and landlord flexibility, market concessions, total occupancy cost, and fit for long term plans. You gain clarity on what each space means for your operations and bottom line.
- Negotiate and sign your lease. Your rep structures proposals, creates competition between landlords, and negotiates terms to protect your interests through closing and taking occupancy. This includes identifying concessions, clarifying costs, and ensuring the lease language supports your long term needs. TenantBase connects tenants with the right local experts and market intelligence, giving them clearer insights throughout search and negotiation.
For a full breakdown of the lease process, see The Entire Commercial Leasing Process: Start to Finish .
What Sets TenantBase Apart
Built for Tenants
TenantBase is a tenant centric platform. The goal is to help businesses of all sizes get access to space and service in their local market.
Local Market Expertise
TenantBase integrates locally with brokers and partners with qualified tenant reps that are responsive and committed to providing service to tenants on the platform.
Technology That Supports
The platform organizes and streamlines the process for brokers to understand what tenants are looking for and how they can best support them. By combining real time market data with tenant focused advocacy, TenantBase helps businesses make more informed leasing decisions at every step.
Fees and Transparency: How Compensation Works
Before engagement, TenantBase partner brokers should explain:
- How they are compensated
- Who pays each commission
- What to expect in your market
In most commercial real estate transactions, the landlord pays both brokers’ commissions and tenants typically receive representation with no direct out of pocket cost.
Related TenantBase Resources
FAQs – Tenant Representation
A tenant rep represents your interests, not the landlord’s. They help you identify space that fits your operations and budget, compare options using real market data, create leverage between landlords, negotiate terms and concessions that support your long term goals, and avoid hidden costs and risky lease language. TenantBase connects you with local tenant reps who focus on your space type and market.
Ideally you should start 6 to 12 months before your lease expires or before you want to occupy a new space. Starting early ensures you can explore more available options instead of settling for what remains, build negotiating leverage instead of reacting under pressure, secure tenant improvements or layout changes that take time, and avoid costly holdovers or last minute lease extensions. TenantBase helps you stay ahead of timelines so decisions feel confident and strategic.
Yes. Staying in your current space can be one of the most valuable negotiation moments when handled correctly. A tenant rep helps you benchmark renewal terms against the active market, secure concessions such as improvements or free rent, create leverage by reviewing alternative spaces, and reduce risk from increases in occupancy costs and unfavorable language. TenantBase introduces you to tenant reps who support renewal negotiations so you can get the most out of your existing location.
No. TenantBase’s service is provided at no cost to tenants. Partner brokers are compensated through the lease commission paid by the building owner, so you do not pay a fee out of pocket. Learn more at tenantbase.com/how-it-works.
Ready to find the right fit for your business?
Thousands of businesses use TenantBase to search more effectively & compare options with clarity. Start your search or connect with a local tenant rep today.
