Eisenkraft, Noah (2016). "Office Rental Negotiation", Custom Negotiations, https://customnegotiations.org/.
All content is © Noah Eisenkraft 2024, all rights reserved.
You are the owner and sole employee of Executive MatchMaker, a boutique consulting firm that helps executives find new jobs. You have been looking to move your business out of your home and into a private office. Corporate Court, a 40-unit office complex in Jacksonville looks like it has everything you need. The office you toured is not too far from your house and has the privacy your clients demand. You are meeting today with the developer and landlord of Corporate Court to negotiate the terms of a lease.
You have identified four issues that you want to discuss during the negotiation: office cleaning policy, security deposit, sublet policy, and lease length. Your negotiation is not complete until you reach an agreement on all four of these issues.
As part of your negotiation preparation, you created a points schedule that reflects your preferences. Your goal is to reach an agreement that provides you with as many points as possible. THE MORE POINTS YOU EARN, THE BETTER YOUR AGREEMENT.
Should you and the landlord fail to reach an agreement, you will lease an office with Beta Buildings, a nearby office park. Beta Buildings has offered you a deal worth 3,225 points.
A landlord-provided cleaning service can keep everything looking great and well maintained. Although you like a clean office, your privacy minded clients would prefer that you receive as few landlord-provided cleanings as possible.
| Office Cleaning Policy Options | Points | |
|---|---|---|
| A. | No cleanings | 1,250 |
| B. | One deep clean per year | 1,175 |
| C. | Quarterly cleanings | 1,100 |
| D. | Monthly cleanings | 1,025 |
| E. | Biweeky cleanings | 950 |
Landlords often require a security deposit when new tenants move in, in addition to the first and last month's rent. You want a smaller security deposit.
| Security Deposit Options | Points | |
|---|---|---|
| A. | Zero dollars | 1,300 |
| B. | Two weeks rent | 1,125 |
| C. | One month's rent | 950 |
| D. | Six weeks rent | 775 |
| E. | Two months rent | 600 |
The sublet policy describes the circumstances under which the tenant can sublet the office to someone else in their absence. You would like a lenient sublet policy.
| Sublet Policy Options | Points | |
|---|---|---|
| A. | No sublets allowed | 50 |
| B. | Sublets allowed with two months notice | 450 |
| C. | Sublets allowed with one month's notice | 850 |
| D. | Sublets allowed with one week's notice | 1,250 |
| E. | Sublets allowed with no advance notice | 1,650 |
An office lease can be any length. You want to sign a long lease.
| Lease Length Options | Points | |
|---|---|---|
| A. | Month-to-month | 650 |
| B. | Three months | 975 |
| C. | Six months | 1,300 |
| D. | One year | 1,625 |
| E. | Two years | 1,950 |