April 8, 2026

The Secret Behind Better Lease Terms (That Most Tenants Miss)

The Secret Behind Better Lease Terms (That Most Tenants Miss)

In this episode of Commercial Real Estate Secrets, Aviva Sonenreich breaks down what tenant representation in commercial real estate actually is, how it works, and why it can dramatically improve your lease terms without costing you anything.


If you are leasing warehouse space, industrial space, or any commercial property, this episode will show you how to approach your next deal like a professional and avoid the most common and expensive mistakes tenants make.


What You’ll Learn in This Episode

  • What tenant representation is and how it works in commercial real estate
  • Why working directly with the listing agent puts you at a disadvantage
  • How tenants negotiate better lease terms, including free rent and tenant improvement allowances
  • Why most tenants underestimate what can be negotiated in a lease
  • How one tenant secured over $1M in tenant improvements through proper representation
  • The step-by-step process of securing a commercial lease, from strategy to execution
  • Why tenant representation is typically paid for by the landlord


Tenant Representation in Denver & Colorado

If you are searching for:

  • warehouse space in Denver
  • industrial outdoor storage for lease in Colorado
  • commercial real estate tenant representation


The Warehouse Hotline specializes in industrial tenant representation and has been advising tenants across Colorado for decades.


From site selection to lease negotiation, the goal is simple:

secure the most favorable terms for your business.


Work With a Tenant Representative

If you are considering a new lease, relocation, or renewal, start here:

👉 https://warehousehotline.com/commercial-tenant-representation/


Tell us what you are looking for and get guidance from a commercial tenant broker focused on negotiating lease terms that support your operations.

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Tenant representation.
What is it, who's involved and

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do you need a tenant Rep?
One of the most expensive line

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items for any business on their
P&L is going to be rent.

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So before you secure a lease,
you need to make sure that your

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terms, your rent, and your space
all work hand in hand with your

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business.
You do not want to have to do

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this once you already have a
lease in place.

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You need to be doing this
preemptively, which is why you

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hire tenant representation.
Who wouldn't want a professional

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making sure they have the best
terms for their business?

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About a year or so ago I get a
call from a national operator

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out of Texas.
They are looking for a 50,000

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square foot industrial facility
here in Denver and they need

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tenant representation.
We were able to secure this

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tenant over $1,000,000 in tenant
improvements fine.

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Being a tenant representative is
not always just about finding a

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space.
It's about finding a space and

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then navigating the transaction.
Working with a professional who

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leases industrial real estate
day in and day out will get you

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better terms.
This is common sense.

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So what exactly is tenant Rep?
Suppose you're a tenant looking

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to secure a new lease.
As the tenant, you hire a tenant

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representative to help you find
the space and negotiate a new

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lease all the way to lease
signing.

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That's right, you as the tenant
have someone representing you in

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your best interest to secure a
lease on a space.

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Now the crazy part about this is
99 .9999% of the time the

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landlord is going to pay the
tenant representative.

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I repeat, the landlord pays the
tenant Rep.

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It's just the industry standard.
Having a tenant Rep is about

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helping you find the right space
and structuring the right deal

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that works best for your
business.

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The goal?
Creating leverage in

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negotiations to create a better
outcome for you, the tenant.

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Now that I have your attention,
this is where tenants get it

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wrong.
One, they try to work directly

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with the listing agent, and I
get it.

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It would seem as though that
would be a easier path to

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consummating a deal.
However, the reality is if I'm a

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tenant and I am working to lease
a space and the space has a

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listing agent, the listing agent
has signed a contract with the

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landlord that says they will
work in the best interest of

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their client, the landlord, at
all times.

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This is called fiduciary duty.
So landlord A hires listing

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agent B to have their fiduciary
duty represented in the lease of

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their space.
Would you hire the person who is

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representing Landlord A to also
represent you?

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No you wouldn't.
That's the 9.

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Landlords are represented by
professionals, Most tenants are

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not.
If you want to get ahead in the

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leasing process and get a deal
that's favorable to you, you

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need someone who is qualified to
represent you to see the

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transaction through.
Not your cousin who's a

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residential real estate agent.
Don't do that, Get a

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professional.
The 2nd place tenants get it

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wrong when it comes to securing
a new space.

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They underestimate what can and
cannot be negotiated and they

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try to negotiate it themselves.
This can be a very expensive

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mistake as a tenant, and I see
it time and time again, you as a

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tenant, your job is to navigate
your business.

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As the tenant Rep, it's our job
to find the space and negotiate

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the deal.
This is what we do day in and

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day out.
We will be better at negotiating

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your lease than you will because
you don't do this all the time

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like we do.
A qualified tenant Rep has seen

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a thing or two.
They know the buildings, they

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know the listing agents, they
know the landlords, and they

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know the terms that will best
suit their clients in order to

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get the best deal for the space.
Period.

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Point blank.
Not to mention the value having

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a buffer in negotiations.
Buffer, AKA the broker creates.

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That's a video for a entirely
different day.

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But trust me, when you're doing
large negotiations, having

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someone with their fiduciary
duty to you will pay dividends

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today, tomorrow, and the next.
Seeking and negotiating a space

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yourself or even working
directly with the listing agent

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might not sound so favorable,
wouldn't you agree?

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Let's talk about what a deal
looks like in real time as a

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tenant utilizing a tenant Rep.
Step one, strategize.

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Define your requirements.
Define your timeline.

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Define your budget.
From there your tenant Rep will

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take that information and hit
the market, which takes us to

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step #2 market coverage.
A proper tenant Rep will have on

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market and off market
opportunities for you to

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underwrite and review.
Once you've got your short list,

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you're going to tour them.
Your tenant Rep is going to set

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up these tours, be there with
you for the tours and see it

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through.
Step #3 you've toured, maybe

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you've got 1-2 or three
properties that stand out.

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Step three, we're analyzing
these properties.

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What's the rent?
What are the Nets?

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How much is this actually going
to cost me at the end of the

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day?
And ultimately, as the tenant,

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where can I gain leverage to
save money in negotiations?

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Step #4 is to negotiate.
This is where the real magic

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happens.
The tenant representative is

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going to represent to the tenant
in proposing terms to the

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landlord in a letter of intent
and from there the landlord and

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the tenant Rep or the tenant Rep
and the listing agent are going

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to negotiate out a deal.
Things you can negotiate every

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rent, rent itself, tenant
improvement allowances like the

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deal I told you about at the
beginning of this.

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An average person wouldn't know
to ask for $1,000,000 in

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upgrades, which is why you hire
someone like the warehouse

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hotline and step #5 is
execution.

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You've negotiated and agreed on
terms.

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The landlord has given you a
lease.

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Ideally, you have an attorney
review this lease and then once

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you're comfortable and the
landlord's comfortable, you

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sign.
A tenant Rep is not about just

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finding the space.
It's about securing a deal that

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is going to favor you and your
business at no cost to you.

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If it's at no cost to you, this
is about no brainer.

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Now you're sold on tenant Rep,
right?

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You've got a pro, the landlord
pays for it.

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It makes nothing but sense.
So why hire the Warehouse

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Hotline?
I thought you'd never ask.

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If you're a tenant in looking
for industrial space in

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Colorado, the Warehouse Hotline
is your unfair advantage.

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We only broker industrial real
estate in this town, Denver

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forward slash Colorado and we've
been doing it since 1984.

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We've got relationships with
landlords, tenants, brokers, you

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name it to get you the most
favorable deal terms for your

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business.
We have a deep understanding of

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the Colorado industrial markets
and even further a deeper

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understanding of what an
industrial tenant needs

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logistically, structurally, when
it comes to loading, parking,

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etcetera.
We know what a deal should look

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like and what it shouldn't look
like.

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We just completed a lease.
We were representing A tenant

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and we were able to secure this
tenant 3 months of free rent.

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The tenant was shocked.
She called me and she said

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verbatim I had no idea we could
ask for free rent event.

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Bingo.
Yahtzee.

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This is why you hire a tenant
Rep.

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This is what we do.
This is just one of the many

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examples why hiring a tenant Rep
will benefit you, the tenant, at

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no cost to you.
If you're looking for your next

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warehouse space in Colorado,
drop a comment below or head

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over to the Warehouse
hotline.com, hit the contact

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form, and let's talk about your
next industrial space.

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If you or someone you know loves
commercial real estate, make

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sure to hit that subscribe
button, share this with a friend

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and comment your questions.
I personally respond to every

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comment and I'm always looking
for new content to make for

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videos, so let me know what
you're thinking.

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Make sure to like, subscribe,
and comment your commercial real

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estate questions.
Thanks for listening.