The date your lease expires is not the date your decision is due. By the time most tenants focus on it, the best options have already narrowed. A simple timeline helps you keep your leverage.
Well before expiration: know your dates
Start by reading your lease. Find the expiration date, any renewal option and the deadline to exercise it, and any notice periods. Missing a notice deadline can cost you a renewal right or leave you on short-term holdover terms. Put every date on the calendar.
Define what you need
Before you talk to your landlord, decide what your business needs over the next several years. How many people, how often in the office, what kind of space, and how much flexibility? Your answer shapes everything that follows, including whether renewing is even the right move.
Test the market
Even if you expect to stay, look at real alternatives. Comparable space nearby tells you what your current space is worth and gives you a credible fallback. A landlord who knows you have options negotiates differently than one who knows you don't.
Leave room for construction
If you might move or renovate, build in time for design, permits, and construction. Long-lead items and approvals can push a project back by months. Starting late is how tenants end up in a double move or an expensive holdover.
Negotiate the whole lease
Renewals are a chance to fix terms that have caused problems. Look at sublease and assignment rights, renewal options, expansion rights, operating expense language, and restoration obligations at the end of the term. These are often easier to improve now than at any other point.
Don't let the deadline decide for you
The tenants who get the best outcomes start early, keep their options open, and make the decision on their own schedule. Know your dates, test the market, and give yourself time to choose.