RESULTS

Results.

We don’t measure success by deals closed. We measure it by what clients actually saved—and whether they came back.

Office building represented by Tenant Advisors in the Chicago area

Seven-story office building on Meacham Road in Schaumburg

333 West Wacker Drive office tower on the Chicago River

CME Center office towers at 30 South Wacker Drive on the Chicago River

Drake Oak Brook Plaza office buildings in Oak Brook, Illinois

Twin glass office towers with landscaped plaza in the O'Hare market

20+

YEARS TENANT-ONLY

100%

TENANT
REPRESENTATION

$0

COST TO TENANTS

0

LANDLORD CONFLICTS

2,000+

Office Leases Negotiated

80+

Yrs Combined Experience

Compensation is paid by landlords as part of any standard commercial lease — never billed to tenants.

How We Work

A four-step process built around the tenant’s leverage.

Step 01

Listen

Understand the business, growth path, headcount plans, and the cost and operational constraints.

Step 02

Develop Strategy

Build the requirement, financial model, and competitive set. Define the leverage plan before the first tour.

Step 03

Negotiate

Run landlords against each other. Pull every lever — rate, TI, free rent, term, flexibility.

Step 04

Close

Lease execution, landlord work-letter management, and transition support through occupancy.

HOW WE WORK

Ten engagements, ten measurable outcomes.

Each case below is a real engagement. Names are withheld; the dollars, square footage, and structures are not.

RENEWAL

32% Lower Rent + Landlord-Funded Renovation

SITUATION

In 2025, a 12,000-SF Schaumburg tenant wanted to renew its lease but needed to update its dated layout and finishes.

WHAT WE DID

Developed a tailored real estate strategy, sourced and toured qualified office spaces, analyzed lease economics, and negotiated competitive proposals from multiple landlords to maximize leverage and deliver favorable lease terms.

Standardized requirements, set negotiation guardrails, and ran parallel market searches.

OUTCOME

32% lower net effective rent than the landlord's initial renewal proposal

NET EFFECTIVE RENT

Marketed the requirement to 6 competing buildings, ran a side-by-side TCO comparison, and brought 3 landlords into active negotiation. Used the relocation proposals as leverage to push the incumbent on TI allowance and free rent.

RESTRUCTURE

48.8% Lower Net Rent Without Moving

SITUATION

A 12,620-SF professional services tenant in Schaumburg was four years from expiration on a lease with an outdated base year, and rising taxes and operating expenses were adding $81,600 a year on top of base rent.

WHAT WE DID

Timed the negotiation to the tenant’s early termination window to maximize leverage with new ownership. Benchmarked occupancy costs and showed that the stale base year, not the rental rate, was the problem. Restructured the lease to reset the base year to the current year while keeping the original rent schedule, in exchange for a term extension.

OUTCOME

48.8% LOWER

NET RENT

3 months of free rent
$20/SF refurbishment allowance, convertible to rent credit
5% cap on controllable operating expenses
Expanded right of first refusal, façade signage, added reserved parking
$104,514 saved in year one

NEW LEASE

Big-Tenant Terms on a First-Time Lease

SITUATION

A growing company moving out of executive suites for the first time, with no internal real estate expertise and a tight timeline.

WHAT WE DID

Built the requirements document from scratch (no internal real estate function), toured 8 buildings, ran financial modeling on the final 3, and negotiated the LOI and lease in parallel with two landlords to keep leverage live through signing.

OUTCOME

29% LOWER

NET EFFECTIVE RENT

Five-year direct lease with terms typically only available to much larger tenants.

SUBLEASE

Suburbs to Downtown Class A, Fully Furnished, at $24.50 Gross

SITUATION

A senior living management company had spent about 15 years in a Des Plaines office and wanted to move its headquarters downtown, without paying for a build-out, buying furniture, or committing to a long direct lease.

WHAT WE DID

Ran direct and sublease options side by side across the Loop and West Loop, pricing space at Willis Tower, 10, 30 and 100 S. Wacker, 135 S. LaSalle, 200 W. Madison and 333 W. Wacker, with proposals out to several at once. Targeted a fully furnished 11,440-SF sublease at 333 W. Wacker, where the asking rate dropped from $26 to $24 gross during negotiations. Beat a competing subtenant offering more total rent and a larger deposit, then managed the sublease, master landlord consent, furniture transfer and early access for the move.

OUTCOME

$24.50/SF

GROSS, FULLY FURNISHED

Riverfront Class A space at $24.50/SF gross with no expense or tax pass-throughs (below the $26 original ask)
2 months of gross rent abated (about $47,000)
Full furniture package included, with ownership transferred for $1 at term end (no furniture purchase)
60 days of rent-free early access for IT and cabling
About a 41-month term with no long-term direct lease commitment
Master landlord consent secured

INDUSTRIAL

125,000 SF Pivot to In-House Logistics

SITUATION

A logistics company needed to bring its warehouse function in-house, requiring a move from office to a warehouse facility. As the requirement evolved, the size grew from 50,000 to 125,000 SF.

WHAT WE DID

Started the search at 50,000 SF and rebuilt the criteria twice as the requirement grew to 75,000 then 125,000 SF, pivoting from office to industrial mid-process. Toured 9 facilities and ran financial comparisons across 4 finalists.

OUTCOME

125,000 SF

in a newly renovated facility

Search criteria scaled from 50,000 to 125,000 SF mid-process — updated quickly without losing momentum.

RELOCATION + SUBLEASE

Doubling the Footprint, $2.1M in Value Captured

SITUATION

A private equity-backed consumer packaged goods company opened its Oakbrook Terrace headquarters and, within 16 months, needed to double its space and move downtown, closer to its young professional workforce. It still had more than four years left on its suburban lease.

WHAT WE DID

We ran two parallel tracks so the client would never pay rent on two offices. For the new headquarters, we toured 7 buildings and compared finalists on full effective cost. We then negotiated the winning landlord off its first offer: lower rent, a doubled allowance, free parking, a renewal option, and a year-5 exit with no added penalty. For the existing space, we built a sublease program and priced it to draw strong demand. Two qualified subtenants went head to head, and the bidding war produced a sublease rate 22% above what we expected to achieve without competition. We recommended the stronger credit, and the sublease covers the full remaining term, with rent due the same day as the client’s own. The two deals closed within 60 days of each other.

OUTCOME

$2.1M+

IN CONCESSIONS AND SUBLEASE RECOVERY

Brand-new spec suite in the West Loop, built and furnished by the landlord (about $1.13M)
7 months gross rent abated (about $323,000)
Moving and cabling allowance ($88,680)
2 reserved parking spaces at no cost for the full term (about $106,000)
About $510,000 recovered by subleasing the suburban space through 2030
$0 subtenant-side commission and zero months of double rent
Ready to occupy on day one

RELOCATION

26% Lower Rent on a Class A Relocation

SITUATION

A headquarters tenant was occupying dated space that was twice the size needed post-pandemic.

WHAT WE DID

Toured 12 Class A buildings across the target submarket, narrowed to 4 finalists, and ran a head-to-head bidding process. Used construction cost escalation as a negotiating lever to push the winning landlord to turnkey the buildout.

OUTCOME

26% LOWER

EFFECTIVE NET RENT + RENT ABATEMENT

Landlord turnkey’d extensive improvements during a period of rapidly escalating construction costs.

RELOCATION

20% Lower Net Effective Rent in a Furnished Oak Brook Office

SITUATION

A growing professional services firm needed a move-in-ready 4,400-SF office in Oak Brook without paying for build-out or furniture.

WHAT WE DID

Surveyed move-in-ready suites across the western suburbs, targeted space with reusable improvements and furniture, and negotiated the economics and lease language together, securing seven months of gross free rent, a moving allowance, furniture, parking and expansion rights.

OUTCOME

20% LOWER

NET EFFECTIVE RENT + GROSS RENT ABATEMENT

Net effective rent dropped from $23.85/SF to $19.04/SF over the 67-month term, with $118,272 in concessions:
7 months free base rent: $57,108
7 months free operating expenses and taxes: $30,364
$7.00/SF moving allowance: $30,800
$118,272 ÷ $585,966 total base rent = 20.2% savings
Existing furniture and 3 garage parking spaces at no charge
5-year renewal option and right of first offer on an adjacent suite

HQ RELOCATION

17 Months Rent-Free, $2.2M in Value Captured

SITUATION

A life insurance company in Oak Brook needed about 30,000 SF for a new headquarters with room to grow.

WHAT WE DID

Ran two O’Hare buildings against each other, using the second landlord’s unsolicited offer to push the preferred building through several rounds of proposals and off its first rate. Secured rent-free early occupancy during the build-out, a full improvement package, and growth rights on two floors. Went from signed LOI to an execution-ready lease in seven weeks.

OUTCOME

$2.2M+

IN CONCESSIONS

$40/SF improvement allowance (about $1.2M)
11 months gross rent abated (about $679,000)
About 6 months of rent-free early occupancy before the lease started (about $370,000)
5% cap on controllable operating expenses for the full term
Early termination option, right of first offer and expansion rights on two floors
Top-of-building signage and 10 reserved underground parking spaces
Used its expansion rights the next year when its call center hit capacity

RIGHT-SIZE

60% Smaller Footprint on a 5-Year Term

SITUATION

A national company needed to reduce its footprint by 60% post-pandemic and wanted to limit its lease term to five years.

WHAT WE DID

Built a shortlist of 9 Class A spec suites and 4 high-quality subleases, toured the top 6, and negotiated with 3 landlords in parallel. Held the 5-year ceiling and got a landlord to accept it on a spec suite with custom modifications.

OUTCOME

60% SPACE REDUCTION

BY EFFICIENCIES

Landed in a spec suite with custom tenant changes and a shorter commitment than landlords typically accept post-pandemic.

GOOGLE REVIEWS

What Clients Say on Google

★★★★★

“Tenant Advisors has been a valued member of the Schaumburg Business Association for more than 20 years. Most recently, they helped us negotiate our lease and did an outstanding job making sure the agreement was truly in the best interest of our organization. Their knowledge, professionalism, and guidance made the entire process much easier, and we always felt like we had a trusted advisor looking out for us. I highly recommend Tenant Advisors to any business negotiating a lease, renewing an existing lease, or looking for a new location.”

— Schaumburg Business Association

★★★★★

“Tenant Advisors is an A+ company representing tenants searching for new space. There’s no conflict of interest — they clearly represent your best interest. I highly recommend them.”

— Kerry L., Attorney

★★★★★

“What sets Tenant Advisors apart is that they only represent tenants, so there was never a conflict of interest. They pushed back on lease terms we would have missed and saved us real money. If you’re renewing or relocating your office, talk to them first.”

— Steve V.

★★★★★

“I’m a business attorney and I refer my clients to Tom Koelzer at Tenant Advisors for office leases. Tom represents tenants only, knows the landlord side, and negotiates deals that hold up when I review the lease. Responsive, prepared, and easy to work with.”

— Patrick M., Business Attorney

★★★★★

“David was incredibly attentive, professional, and knowledgeable throughout the entire process. He understood our unique needs, navigated the local market, and negotiated the best terms. We’re now in a fantastic office that supports our growth.”

— Barbara T., Candor Health Education

★★★★★

“I worked opposite Tom on a Rosemont office relocation for one of his clients. Tom was a strong advocate for his client throughout — tough but fair in negotiations and always professional.”

— Norm M., Landlord-Side Broker

★★★★★

“I worked with Dave VenHorst on an early office lease renewal in Schaumburg for one of his clients. Dave represented his client’s interests exceptionally well — a skilled and persistent negotiator while remaining fair, professional, and easy to work with.”

— Robert G., Landlord-Side Broker

★★★★★

“We have worked with Tom Koelzer and the Tenant Advisors team for over 20 years. Their knowledge, professionalism, and responsiveness make all our projects run smoothly and create happy clients every time.”

— Alison S.

★★★★★

“Working with Tenant Advisors truly feels like a partnership. They take the time to understand their clients and build genuine relationships. They care about the people behind the business, not just the transaction.”

— Alicia G., BEAR Construction

★★★★★

“Tenant Advisors did a phenomenal job helping us navigate the commercial real estate market. They found great office space for our law firm’s new headquarters. I can’t recommend their expertise, tenacity, and professionalism enough.”

— Kevin F.

★★★★★

“I have referred several people in my network to Tom and Dave, and the feedback has been consistently positive. Everyone I’ve connected with them has been very happy with the level of service they received.”

— Gregg K., IA Business Advisors

★★★★★

“Tom and David have both done a tremendous job for our real estate needs. Knowledgeable and transparent — I highly recommend them.”

— Ted M., Attorney

★★★★★

“Mike Vizzone was incredibly responsive and quickly understood exactly what we needed. Within two weeks he found us a location that fit our requirements and made the entire process easy from start to finish.”

— Chris M.

★★★★★

“David VenHorst has been an outstanding representative for us over many years and property decisions. He consistently finds solutions that work for us, making every transition smooth, efficient, and economically viable.”

— Mark M.

★★★★★

“They took the time to thoroughly understand our business goals, space preferences, and budget. They skillfully negotiated on our behalf, securing lease terms and concessions that exceeded our expectations. We’re now in an office space that aligns perfectly with our business needs.”

— Thomas M.

★★★★★

“Tenant Advisors helped us find the perfect space for our growing company and negotiate great lease terms, plus additional furniture to meet our needs. If you need a new space or are renegotiating your current lease, this is the team for you.”

— Patrick P.

★★★★★

“Tom showed me business offices that met my criteria in a timely manner. Professional and very attentive to my needs.”

— Rob H.

★★★★★

“Tom and David were extremely helpful with my transition into new office space. They walked me through the lease and negotiated the best possible terms on my behalf.”