If your Austin commercial lease ends within the next 12 to 24 months, a tenant rep can review it, benchmark your rent against the current market, and negotiate a renewal or a move on your behalf. On renewals the landlord commonly pays the tenant rep’s commission, so the service usually costs you nothing; we confirm who pays up front, in writing, before we start.
Tristen Palori, a licensed commercial real estate agent with Foresite Commercial Real Estate, handles renewals for office, retail, medical, and industrial tenants across the Austin metro. Not sure what your choices are yet? Start with your commercial lease is expiring: what are your options?
Free lease review
Send us your lease (and any amendments) or call 512-580-7800. We will read it and send back a plain summary of your key dates, renewal rights, move-out obligations, and the options we see. There is no cost and no obligation to work with us. Request your free lease review.
What we look for when we read your lease
Most renewal mistakes come from a clause the tenant forgot was there. We pull out:
- Expiration date and notice deadlines. The date your term ends, and every date before it that matters.
- Renewal options. Whether you have one, how long it runs, and how the renewal rent is set: a fixed rate, a set increase, fair market value, or an inflation index such as CPI.
- Notice windows. Many options must be exercised in writing inside a specific window. Miss it and the option can be lost.
- Holdover terms. What happens if you stay past expiration without a new agreement, which is usually expensive.
- Early termination rights. Whether you can leave early, when, and what it costs.
- Relocation clause. Whether the landlord can move you to another suite.
- Restoration and removal obligations. What you must remove or restore at move-out (cabling, signage, specialized improvements). This can be a real cost if you relocate.
- Assignment and subletting. Your flexibility if your business changes.
- Operating expense provisions. How NNN or pass-through charges are calculated and capped, and whether they are worth renegotiating. See NNN and CAM charges explained.
For more on these clauses, read commercial lease terms that matter.
How we benchmark your rent
A landlord’s renewal proposal is an opening position. To know whether it is fair, we compare it with:
- Comparable deals: recent leases in similar buildings, including the concessions behind the quoted rate (free rent, TI allowance, escalations).
- Current availability: the spaces you could actually move to, what they are asking, and how motivated those landlords are.
We compare total cost over the term, not just the starting rate. How commercial rent works explains the math, and our lease cost calculator lets you model a renewal against a move yourself.
The options we lay out
Once we know your dates and the market, we put every realistic path on one page:
- Renew on the terms in your renewal option, if they are good.
- Renegotiate rate, concessions, term, and clauses that no longer fit.
- Blend-and-extend: extend early in exchange for a lower blended rate now.
- Relocate to a space that fits better or costs less.
- Downsize or expand in your building or elsewhere.
- Sublease part or all of the space if you need less of it.
We tell you which one we think fits and why, including when staying put is the right call.
Why waiting gives the landlord leverage
Your landlord knows your expiration date. As it gets closer, moving becomes less realistic: finding space, negotiating, building out, and moving take months. If you wait until the last few months, you have no time to move, and the landlord knows it.
Starting early keeps relocation on the table as a real option. That credible alternative, and not tough talk, is what usually gets better renewal terms. Starting early also protects your notice deadlines and keeps you out of holdover.
How we work on a renewal
We sign a short written representation agreement that spells out who pays the fee, review your lease, benchmark the market, tour alternatives if moving is a real option, and negotiate with your landlord alongside your attorney. You make every decision. Read more about our tenant representation service, or contact us to start your free lease review.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How early should I start on a commercial lease renewal in Austin?
Start 12 to 24 months before your lease expires. Larger spaces, medical and restaurant uses, and any chance of moving sit at the long end, because a move can take a year or more from search to opening.
Who pays the tenant rep on a lease renewal?
On most renewals the landlord commonly pays the tenant rep's commission, so the tenant pays nothing. Some landlords resist paying on a renewal, so we confirm who pays in writing before we start negotiating.
Will the landlord be upset if I hire a tenant rep for my renewal?
Landlords deal with represented tenants all the time. A tenant rep keeps the conversation professional and focused on market terms, and many landlords prefer negotiating with someone who knows what is realistic.
What if my lease has a renewal option at fair market value?
Fair market value is usually set by the landlord's proposal, followed by negotiation or a process defined in the lease. Benchmarking against comparable deals before you exercise the option is how you avoid accepting the landlord's first number.
What does the free lease review include?
We read your lease and send back a short summary of your expiration date, notice deadlines, renewal options, holdover terms, move-out obligations, and the options we see. There is no cost or obligation.
Is a lease review legal advice?
No. We review leases from a business and market perspective. For legal questions about your lease, we recommend a Texas real estate attorney, and we are happy to work alongside yours.