Short answer: before hiring a tenant rep broker, ask whether they ever represent landlords, who pays them, how many leases they’ve negotiated in your specific submarket, and who will actually do the work. The answers reveal whether you’re getting a true advocate or a conflicted middleman — and since the landlord pays the commission either way, the quality of your broker costs you nothing extra.
The 8 Questions That Matter
1. Do you or your firm ever represent landlords?
This is the single most important question. Most commercial brokerages earn the majority of their revenue from landlord listings — which means the firm negotiating “for you” may also be courting your landlord’s next assignment. Illinois law permits dual agency with disclosure, but disclosure doesn’t remove the conflict. A tenant-only firm has no landlord relationships to protect.
2. Who pays you, and what does this cost me?
The landlord pays the leasing commission and splits it with your broker — the same commission gets paid whether you have representation or not. If a broker can’t explain this clearly, or hedges about additional fees, keep looking. Tenant representation should cost you $0.
3. How many office leases have you negotiated in my submarket?
Chicago’s suburbs are not one market. Schaumburg, Oak Brook, Northbrook, and Rosemont each have different vacancy levels, landlord behavior, and concession norms. A broker who knows which buildings are half-empty — and which landlords are quietly cutting deals — brings leverage a generalist can’t. Ask for specifics by city and submarket.
4. Who will actually do the work?
At large firms, the senior broker who wins your business often hands execution to a junior team. Ask who attends the tours, who builds the financial comparison, and who sits across from the landlord’s broker. At a principal-led firm, the person you meet is the person who negotiates.
5. What does your market data show for buildings like mine?
A good tenant rep should be able to tell you — before you sign anything — what comparable tenants are actually paying, what free rent and improvement allowances recent deals included, and where your current rate sits against the market. If they can only quote asking rents, they’re reading the same listings you can.
6. How do you create leverage in my negotiation?
The honest answer involves running a competitive process: qualifying multiple buildings, soliciting proposals in parallel, and making your incumbent landlord compete for your renewal. Beware any answer built on “relationships with landlords” — those relationships are exactly the problem.
7. Can you walk me through a recent deal like mine?
Ask for a real example with numbers: starting position, final rate, concessions won. Experienced tenant reps have these stories ready — including lease audits that caught overcharges the tenant never knew about.
8. What if I decide to renew instead of relocate?
Most engagements end in renewal — but the best renewal terms come from a credible willingness to leave. Ask how the broker handles a renewal-versus-relocation analysis and whether they’re compensated the same either way (they should be, which removes any bias toward moving you).
Red Flags
Walk away from a broker who: represents landlords in the same market they’d negotiate against for you; pressures you to tour before understanding your requirements; can’t produce building-level data; or gets vague when you ask about dual agency. Any of these signals that your deal is the smaller priority.
How Tenant Advisors Answers These Questions
Tenant Advisors has represented office tenants only — never landlords — since 2004. Co-founders Tom Koelzer and Dave Ven Horst have negotiated 2,000+ office leases over 80+ years of combined experience, and every engagement is handled personally by a principal. Our answers to the questions above are on our FAQ page, and our 2026 guide to Chicago tenant rep firms shows how the representation models compare — including firms that do landlord work.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a tenant rep broker cost?
Nothing out of pocket. The landlord pays the leasing commission and splits it with your broker — the same commission is paid whether or not you have representation, so going unrepresented saves you nothing and costs you your advocate.
When should I start talking to a tenant rep broker?
12 to 18 months before your lease expires for a typical office requirement. Starting early preserves your leverage: landlords give the best terms to tenants who still have time to leave.
What is the difference between a tenant rep broker and a listing broker?
A listing broker is hired by the landlord to fill the building at the highest rent. A tenant rep broker works only for the tenant. When one firm plays both roles in the same market, that’s a conflict of interest — even when it’s legally disclosed.
Do small tenants need a tenant rep broker?
Yes — arguably more than large ones. Small tenants have the least negotiating experience and face the same sophisticated landlords. Since the landlord pays the fee, there’s no size below which representation stops making sense.
Have a lease expiring in the next 18 months? Request a free consultation or call (847) 778-0296 — and bring these questions. We like answering them.