AKA  How to Avoid Leaving Money on the Table at Renewal Time. Your lease renewal isn’t just a paperwork formality. Handled right, it’s a chance to protect your margins, improve your terms, and create space that actually supports your business. Handled wrong? It’s a fast track to overpaying, losing leverage and locking yourself into a space that doesn’t serve you anymore.

Here are the 10 most common (and completely avoidable) mistakes tenants make during commercial lease renewals and how to steer clear of every single one.

💣 Mistake #1: Starting Too Late

If you're 6 months out and just starting the conversation you’re already behind.
Give yourself 12–18 months to assess your options, renegotiate from strength, or pivot if needed. Panic mode = bad deals.

💣 Mistake #2: Taking the Landlord’s First Offer

That “standard increase”? It might be padded. Without market data, you’re negotiating blind. A commercial realtor brings the comps, context, and confidence to push back and win.

💣 Mistake #3: Ignoring Your Existing Lease

That old lease you signed five years ago? It still matters. Hidden renewal clauses, CAM overages, outdated clauses; these can all quietly cost you if you don’t audit the fine print.

💣 Mistake #4: Renewing Out of Habit

Just because the space is familiar doesn’t mean it still fits. Your team might’ve grown, pivoted, or gone hybrid. Don’t pay for square footage you don’t use or squeeze into something that stifles growth.

💣 Mistake #5: Missing Key Dates

Some leases require written notice 6 to 12 months in advance to trigger renewal rights. Miss the window and you could lose your space or get stuck with a rent bump you didn’t agree to.

💣 Mistake #6: Failing to Shop Around

Even if you want to stay, touring a few comps gives you leverage. It shows the landlord you’re informed and reminds them you have options.

💣 Mistake #7: Underestimating the Landlord’s Playbook

Landlords don’t just “guess” the renewal rate. They run the numbers. They plan for resistance. If you don’t challenge their assumptions, you’re rewarding them for betting on your silence.

💣 Mistake #8: Not Thinking Long-Term

Renewals should support where your business is going, not just where it’s been. Will this space still serve you in 2 - 5 years? If not, negotiate now or regret later.

💣 Mistake #9: Leaving Perks on the Table

Yes, you can negotiate incentives even as a renewing tenant. Smart businesses ask for:
– Free rent
– TI allowances
– Parking deals
– CAM caps
You don’t get what you don’t ask for. And knowing how to ask? That’s where we help.

💣 Mistake #10: Doing It Alone

Lease renewals are full of high-stakes details. A commercial realtor gives you expert-level intel, market-tested strategies, and the kind of landlord-facing credibility that gets deals done right.

Renewing without a plan is like signing a blank cheque, let’s fix that before your landlord fills in the numbers.

Renewals are a business strategy.  Skip the mistakes. Maximize your leverage. And negotiate like your future depends on it. Before your next lease auto-renews on someone else’s terms, let's talk.

📍 Built for business. Backed by data. Negotiated with bite.

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