Updated September 2026 · By Tom Koelzer and Dave Ven Horst, co-founders of Tenant Advisors
Plan your office layout before you sign the lease, not after. A test fit, a preliminary floor plan drawn for each building on your shortlist, tells you how much space you actually need, what the build-out will cost, and how much tenant improvement allowance to negotiate. Tenants who plan the layout after signing often end up with too much space, too small an allowance, or both.
Key Takeaways
- A test fit on every finalist building shows your real space needs and build-out cost before you commit.
- Layout drives square footage, and square footage drives rent for the entire lease term.
- Your layout determines how much tenant improvement allowance you need. Negotiate that number with pricing in hand.
- Protect the layout in the lease: restoration obligations, expansion and contraction rights, and load factor.
- At renewal, a refreshed layout is a negotiating point, not just a design project.
What is a test fit, and why should it come before the lease?
A test fit is a quick space plan that shows how your team fits in a specific suite: offices, workstations, conference rooms, reception, storage, and support space. Landlords routinely provide test fits at no cost to tenants who are seriously considering their building. Running one on each finalist suite shows which spaces actually work, how efficient each floor plate is, and what construction each option requires. Without it, you are comparing buildings on asking rent and rentable square feet, which says little about how the space will perform for your team.
How much office space do you need per person?
It depends on how your people work. The ranges below are rough planning figures; your test fit sets the real number.
| Layout style | Planning range (RSF per person) | Common for |
|---|---|---|
| Private-office heavy | 250–350 | Law, accounting, financial advisory |
| Mixed offices and workstations | 175–250 | Most professional services firms |
| Open plan, higher density | 125–175 | Technology, sales, operations teams |
| Hybrid with desk sharing | 100–150 per assigned seat | Teams in the office two to three days a week |
Rentable square footage also includes your share of the building’s common areas, so two suites with the same usable space can carry different rent. See rentable vs. usable square footage. For a fuller sizing walk-through, see How Much Office Space Do I Need?
How does your layout affect the tenant improvement allowance?
Every wall, door, glass front, and kitchen costs money. A layout heavy on private offices costs more to build than an open plan, and a suite that already matches your layout may need little work at all. That is why the allowance should be negotiated with a construction estimate based on your test fit, not accepted as a round number from the landlord’s first proposal. Ask whether the allowance can also cover cabling, furniture, signage, and moving costs, and whether any unused balance can be applied to rent. More in our tenant improvement allowance guide.
Which lease terms protect your layout?
- Restoration: Clarify whether you must remove improvements at lease end. Unexpected restoration costs are a common surprise.
- Expansion and contraction rights: If headcount may change, negotiate a right of first offer on adjacent space or the ability to give space back.
- Sublease and assignment: A layout that suits a broad range of tenants is easier to sublease if your needs change.
- Load factor: Confirm the measurement standard and that the rentable area cannot be remeasured upward during the term.
Does layout matter when you renew?
Yes. A renewal is a chance to reconfigure your space for how your team works now, and landlords commonly fund a refurbishment allowance to keep a tenant. If your current layout no longer fits, that is leverage: the realistic alternative is a relocation with a new build-out elsewhere. A renewal vs. relocation analysis puts both paths in actual dollars. If you are planning a move, see our office relocation and site selection approach.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who pays for a test fit?
In most competitive situations, the landlord pays for test fits for tenants seriously considering its building. Your tenant representative can request them on each finalist suite so you can compare options at no cost to you.
How early should office space planning start?
For a relocation, start 12 to 18 months before your lease expires. That leaves time for test fits, pricing, negotiation, and a typical build-out of three to six months after signing.
Can a new layout reduce how much space I lease?
Often, yes. Desk sharing, fewer private offices, and shared meeting rooms can lower the space you need. Test fit a smaller footprint before renewing or relocating to see the savings over the full lease term.
Benchmark Your Space Before You Commit
Planning a move or a renewal? We will compare your space needs and current lease against the market. We represent tenants only, and the landlord pays our fee. Schedule a strategy call or call (847) 778-0296.
About the authors: Tom Koelzer and Dave Ven Horst co-founded Tenant Advisors, Inc. in 2004 after nearly two decades each as First Vice Presidents at a national commercial real estate firm. The firm represents office tenants only, never landlords, and has negotiated 2,000+ office leases across Chicago and the suburbs.