Top 10 Things Tenants Need to Think About When Moving to a New Building
Insider deal levers, hidden risks, and the questions that save you six figures
A relocation decision can lock in your operating costs, your workforce commute, your workflow efficiency, and your growth ceiling for the next 5–10 years. And here’s the part most tenants don’t realize until it’s too late: the “big terms” (rent, term, TI, abatement) are only the beginning. There are dozens of negotiable levers that can protect your business — or quietly trap it.
If you’re considering a move (or you’re being forced into one), here are the 10 things tenants should evaluate before they fall in love with a building.
Timing: your leverage changes depending on when you start
Most tenant regrets start with a rushed timeline.
A lease negotiation isn’t just a signature. You’re also dealing with: permitting, buildout schedules, vendor lead times, furniture delivery, IT setup, signage approvals, parking assignments, and move coordination.
Rule of thumb: start earlier than you think you need to — especially if you need buildout, specialized power/HVAC, or any operational downtime planning. Early timing gives you options. Options create leverage.
Ask:
When do we truly need occupancy vs. “keys in hand”?
How long will buildout/permitting realistically take?
What’s our plan B if the deal stalls?
2. Traffic flow and access: ingress/egress can make or break operations
You can love the building and still hate the location once reality hits — especially for industrial, medical, service businesses, and any company with deliveries or client traffic.
Ingress/egress problems show up as:
Delivery delays and driver frustration
Safety hazards (tight turns, blind exits)
Employee lateness due to chokepoints
Customer drop-off issues
Ask:
How does traffic behave at our operating hours (not just at tour time)?
How do trucks enter/exit? Where do they stage?
Are there planned road projects or closures nearby?
3. Workforce impact: will this move shift your employees (or shrink your applicant pool)?
Tenants often run the numbers on rent and forget the second-order effect: commute time is a retention issue.
A relocation can quietly raise your labor costs by increasing turnover, lateness, and hiring friction — especially if transit options don’t align with your hours.
Ask:
Where do our employees live today, and how will their commute change?
Is transit viable at our start/end times?
What’s parking actually like (not “theoretically available”)?
4. Parking isn’t a checkbox — it’s a daily operating system
Parking issues don’t just annoy people; they cost productivity and morale.
Even if your lease includes parking, you still need to understand how it works in real life:
Are spaces reserved or unassigned?
Is there a shared lot with other tenants?
Is street parking “free” but constantly taken?
Watch for neighbor behaviors: parking hoarding, overflow onto employee streets, customers taking spots, and peak-time conflict.
Ask:
How many spaces are guaranteed to us, in writing?
What happens during peak hours?
Are there enforcement rules — or is it a free-for-all?
5. OPEX/NNN: operating expenses can turn “good rent” into a bad deal
Two leases can have the same base rent and wildly different total cost.
Tenants should understand:
What’s included in operating expenses
How costs are allocated (pro-rata share, caps, exclusions)
How annual increases work
Whether the landlord is passing through expenses that don’t feel “operational”
Ask:
What’s the last 2–3 years of OPEX/NNN history?
What categories are included — and what’s excluded?
Are there management fees, admin fees, or unusual pass-throughs?
6. Landlord profile: you’re not just leasing a building — you’re picking a long-term business partner
Landlords vary massively in rigidity, responsiveness, and fairness.
Some are flexible and solutions-oriented. Others are “by the book,” slow, or known for tough asset management practices. And once you sign, you live with their approach.
Ask your broker (and the market):
What’s this landlord’s reputation with tenants?
How do they handle maintenance and disputes?
What do vendors and property managers say?
A broker with local “insider memory” can often tell you what tenants can’t see on a tour.
7. Building history: why did the last tenant leave — and what problems didn’t show on the tour?
This is where inside knowledge matters.
A building can look great for 30 minutes and still have chronic issues:
Roof leaks
Sagging floors
Persistent pests
Drainage problems
HVAC failures
Maintenance delays
“Temporary fixes” that keep coming back
Tenants who’ve seen a property through multiple turnovers often know the real story.
Ask:
Why did the prior tenant leave? (And listen for the real reason.)
Are there recurring maintenance problems?
Any known issues with roof, foundation, plumbing, or pests?
8. Neighbor risk: your neighbors can change your operating reality overnight
Neighbor compatibility is one of the most overlooked relocation variables.
The wrong neighbor can create:
Noise conflicts (manufacturing)
Odors/waste issues (food processing)
Pest exposure (food, storage, dumping behavior)
Traffic spikes (heavy in/out logistics)
Security problems (clientele shifts, after-hours activity)
And the worst part: you may not see it during a daytime tour.
Ask:
Who are the adjacent tenants? What do they do?
Any known issues with waste, dumping, noise, or odors?
What happens at night or weekends?
9. Deal structure and “rare” property nuances: leasehold vs. fee simple can change everything
Not all properties behave the same — and the nuance matters.
Some buildings carry uncommon structures or constraints (for example, land ownership nuances, leasehold frameworks, unique approvals, or layered stakeholders). Tenants unfamiliar with these can lose weeks — or sign terms they don’t fully understand.
This is where having a broker who has done these deals before saves time and reduces risk.
Ask:
Is this fee simple or leasehold, and what does that mean for the tenant?
Are there additional approvals, stakeholders, or unusual constraints?
Do typical assumptions (options, renewals, signage rights) work differently here?
10. Negotiation levers: it’s not just rent, term, TI, and abatement — there are 50+ ways to improve a deal
Most tenants negotiate like there are four buttons. In reality, there’s a whole control panel.
Beyond base rent and term, tenants may be able to negotiate items like:
Options to renew (and how rent resets)
Termination rights (with conditions)
Expansion rights / contraction rights
Signage rights
Right of first refusal / first offer
Assignment/sublease flexibility
Purchase options (in some cases)
Maintenance responsibilities and response standards
Operating expense caps and audit rights
Exclusive use protections (depending on property type)
In many markets, landlords may be more flexible on the general terms of the lease than tenants expect — especially when competing spaces exist.
Ask:
What are the top 10 lease levers we should push for our specific business?
What protections do we need if the business changes in 2–4 years?
What do we want in writing so we’re not depending on “verbal promises”?
Bonus: Your cost-benefit reality check
A move has hidden costs that don’t appear in a listing brochure:
Moving logistics, downtime, and productivity loss
New equipment layout, racking, storage configuration
IT/network setup, security systems, access controls
Office buildout (paint, carpet, lighting, HVAC, new offices)
Permits, inspections, and compliance updates
Before you commit, ask the hardest question:
How does this move make the business 10x better — revenue, efficiency, hiring, logistics, customer experience?
If it doesn’t, and you’re not being forced out, a move may be a lateral expense disguised as “progress.”
A smarter way to approach a move
The most successful tenant relocations follow a simple strategy:
Start early enough to create options
Compare multiple buildings (and multiple landlords)
Investigate what you can’t see on a tour
Negotiate beyond the “standard four terms”
Model total occupancy cost — including OPEX, buildout, and move costs
