Commercial leases in New York City are complicated legal documents. They can range anywhere from 15 to over 100 pages in length, depending on the particular landlord. Therefore, it is in the tenant’s best interest to hire an attorney to review their lease and to negotiate modifications on their behalf with the landlord’s attorney.

Often the existing layout of an office, loft, showroom or medical space needs to be modified in order to suit a potential tenant. “Building out” a space allows it to be customized to best meet a firms’ needs, and often involves building sheetrock walls, modifying electrical distribution, adding floor treatment, installing HVAC, lighting fixtures and painting. When tenants are evaluating a space one of their first questions for their real estate broker should be whether the landlord is willing to modify a space on their behalf.

If business is booming, the first thing you should do is pat yourself on the back.  You deserve at least that much if you’ve made a big enough splash in New York to necessitate expansion.  More demand for your goods or services requires hiring more employees to keep the business running smoothly. Of course, more employees means additional square footage, and unless you figure out how to use the ceiling, that means relocation to a bigger space.  So what happens when your business outgrows your current space but the lease term stretches endlessly before you?

 Virtually every business in Manhattan and everyone who wants to start a business here will venture into the commercial real estate market at some point seeking office, loft, retail or showroom space to rent. It is not a journey to take alone, however, because the New York City market has the most savvy landlords, property managers  and leasing  agents in the world.