Construction costs and therefore tenant improvement costs are high, and are continuing to rise. Due to this, tenant improvement allowances are also increasing.

The high costs of TIs are driving some companies to forego new and opt for second, third- or fourth-generation space. Consequently, a surge in retrofitting of older buildings is taking place. The increased demand in these older buildings is driving up their lease rates, too.

The high costs of carrying out TIs are affecting lease lengths. Most often, landlords require a five-year minimum lease because they need that time to amortize the cost of the tenant improvements. Because tenants typically want only a three-year lease on second- or greater-generation space, landlords typically spend less money on those TIs.

Alex Zylberglait provides commercial real estate investment advisory as well as research, estate planning, asset allocation, valuation, financing, special assets services, transaction advisory and commercial property acquisition and disposition services.