Office search and lease negotiation

WeOffice represents your interests as a tenant, helping you decide whether to stay, move or renegotiate your lease. We define your requirements, assess the market and negotiate terms that support your business needs.

Overview
Premises strategy
Office search
Lease negotiation
FAQ

From office requirements to agreed lease terms

We help you find the right office and secure the right terms in your lease. With a structured process, we take you from needs and requirements to a shortlist, negotiations and a final decision – so you get a solution that supports your business, your finances and your long-term workplace strategy.

Is the deadline for giving notice on your lease approaching? Has hybrid working changed how much space you need, is the organisation growing, shrinking or consolidating, or does leadership want to justify an office decision on more than rent alone? We help you compare moving, renegotiating your lease and adapting your existing premises against the same requirements. Strong premises decisions do not start in the property market – they start with the organisation's needs. That is why the work begins with the premises strategy: the choice between staying, refurbishing, moving or downsizing.

Define needs and scope

Clarify needs and set the direction.

We define your requirements for space, location, ways of working and technology and develop a clear requirements brief to guide the search and strengthen your negotiating position. This is also where you decide how much space to plan for, which functions the premises must support and how much flexibility the lease needs to offer.

Evaluate the options

Compare options and make an informed decision.

We identify relevant premises and evaluate them against the requirements brief, comparing location, function, flexibility, cost and risk – giving you a clear basis for the next decision. Every option is compared against the same requirements, so the decision considers more than rent, location or first impressions.

Secure favourable lease terms

Negotiate terms that support your long-term needs.

We negotiate and secure lease terms that support the plan: rent level, indexation, incentives, flexibility, fit-out, responsibilities and risk points. The result is a balanced lease grounded in your needs and timeline, with terms that, as far as possible, leave room for the workplace to change after move-in.

Premises strategy: stay, move or downsize

The premises strategy describes the organisation's long-term requirements for office space: how many offices you need, where they should be, how large they should be and how decisions about staying, refurbishing, moving or downsizing should be governed over time. Your workplace strategy defines what the workplace needs to support. Your premises strategy translates those needs into decisions about location, space, cost and lease flexibility. You get clear objectives and decision principles, an office sizing analysis, a comparison of the options and an action plan – the foundation for the requirements brief used in the office search.

Stay and renegotiate

First, we test your existing premises against your needs: will location, space and function support the organisation going forward? If they do, renegotiation becomes an option in its own right, compared with relocation on cost, flexibility, risk and timeline.
Refurbish and develop

You may have enough space, but the balance between meeting rooms, focus areas, collaborative and social spaces may need to change. We assess what a refurbishment would solve, what it would cost and which functions should be prioritised before money is invested in the environment.
Move to new premises

We assess relocation options against your objectives, taking more than rent into account. We develop scenarios for space, location, occupancy cost, investment, feasibility, working environment and organisational risk, so the option can be compared with staying.
Downsize or expand

Organisations that are shrinking, growing or consolidating need to know how much space is actually used. Attendance data, occupancy and meeting needs form the basis for office sizing, and the premises strategy leaves room for needs to change during the lease term.

Office search: finding the right premises

We identify and assess office options against your requirements and the way you work. You receive a requirements brief covering space, location, function, technology, budget and timeline, an overview of the market with relevant options, rent levels and risks, and a shortlist comparing cost, suitability, flexibility and potential.

Define your office requirements

We define your needs and develop a requirements brief covering space, location, ways of working, budget, timeline and technical requirements. We base space requirements on attendance, ways of working and the mix of spaces needed, rather than on headcount alone.
Market analysis and viewings

We map the market, arrange viewings and document the strengths and weaknesses of relevant options. We compare new premises with the option of staying and renegotiating your current lease, considering rent, location, the landlord, the condition of the premises and the scope for adaptation.
Assess the premises' potential

Sketches and early layout proposals help us judge the potential, functionality and adaptability of the premises. We assess how people would move around the office, whether the layout provides suitable spaces for meetings, focused work and social interaction, and whether the premises meet your technology needs and reflect your identity. We also assess how easily the space can adapt as your organisation changes.
Compare and shortlist

We compare the options and draw up a shortlist based on cost, function, flexibility and risk. We measure them against the requirements brief rather than judging them on price, availability or first impressions alone, and follow up with a risk and impact assessment before the decision.

Lease negotiation and lease terms

We analyse lease proposals and negotiate terms that support your business needs, budget and long-term plans. We always assess rent, indexation, lease length, options, fit-out, incentives and the split of responsibilities in relation to how the premises need to function, not just the price per square metre. Leadership and the project team receive a negotiation brief, a risk and impact assessment and a clear recommendation before deciding on relocation, renegotiation or development of the existing premises.

Request and analyse offers

We request and analyse lease proposals, including rent, indexation, lease terms, discounts, incentives and tenant fit-out. If the existing premises can be developed at a reasonable cost, we set renegotiation and relocation side by side in the same comparison.
Negotiate key terms

We negotiate key terms such as rent level, rent-free periods, fit-out, services, options, access date and other key dates. The negotiation starts from the organisation's goals and timeline, and from the principle that the terms should support your needs throughout the lease term.
Lease review and legal support

We review the lease against the organisation's requirements. Lawyers are available when needed before the lease is signed. We document risk points and responsibilities so the decision can be explained to leadership and the board.
Signing and handover

Once the lease is signed, we help plan the handover, any adaptations and the move. The next stage brings together project and change management and the interior design concept, followed by a post-occupancy evaluation once the workplace is in use.

FAQ

Common questions about premises strategy, office search and lease negotiation

What does a tenant adviser do in office search and lease negotiation?

A tenant adviser represents you as the tenant, not the landlord. WeOffice develops the requirements brief, maps the market, evaluates premises against your needs, negotiates the lease terms and compiles recommendations that leadership can act on. The work covers relocation, renegotiation and adaptation of existing premises.

What is a premises strategy, and how does it differ from office search?

A premises strategy describes the organisation's long-term space requirements and how decisions about staying, refurbishing, moving or downsizing should be governed over time: space, location, occupancy cost, flexibility, risk and timeline. Office search is the practical process of finding, comparing and choosing premises based on that direction. Both build on the workplace strategy, which defines what the workplace needs to support. WeOffice works with all three.

When do we need a premises strategy before we start looking for an office?

When the decision affects more than your choice of building. If you are facing relocation, renegotiation or refurbishment, if hybrid working has changed attendance, if the organisation is growing, shrinking or consolidating – or if leadership needs to be able to justify the premises decision – the direction should be set first. WeOffice develops the premises strategy that the requirements brief for the office search then builds on.

When should we start looking for a new office?

Start 18–24 months before the lease expires. That gives you time to develop a requirements brief, look at several options and negotiate in parallel – and it is having parallel options that gives you negotiating strength. If WeOffice is brought in later, both the number of options and the room for negotiation shrink.

How much office space do we need?

Space requirements depend on attendance and ways of working, not headcount alone. WeOffice starts from actual attendance data, meeting needs, the need for focus work and the space mix, and calculates a range rather than a single figure. Attendance data is not a requirement to get started, but it makes office sizing and the comparison between scenarios considerably more accurate.

Is it better to renegotiate the lease than to move?

It depends on whether the existing premises can be developed at a reasonable cost. If they can, renegotiation could be both cheaper and less risky than a relocation. WeOffice compares the options against the same requirements brief – cost, function, flexibility, risk and timeline – so the choice between staying, moving and renegotiating rests on the same evidence.

Which lease terms matter most in an office lease?

Rent is only one part of the overall assessment. The most important terms are lease length, the indexation clause, rent-free periods, tenant fit-out and who pays for it, options to extend or reduce space, the access date and the split of responsibility for operation and maintenance. WeOffice assesses the terms against how the premises need to work over the full lease term, not against the price per square metre at move-in.

Can WeOffice represent us in negotiations with the landlord?

Yes. WeOffice requests and analyses the lease proposals, leads the negotiation of key terms and reviews the lease against your requirements before signing. Lawyers are available when needed before the lease is signed, and once the lease is signed, the work moves on to handover and planning of the move.

Selected projects

From Tradition to Future – Strukton Rail Creates a Flexible Workplace with WeOffice

When Sweden's largest private railway contractor identified the need for a more modern work environment, the goal was to create more than just a beautiful office. Together with WeOffice, Strukton Rail developed a workplace strategy that reflects the company's culture, supports employees in their daily work, strengthens collaboration, and prepares the headquarters for future ways of working.

Workplace Strategy for a Learning Environment

Sanoma Utbildning is one of Sweden’s leading knowledge companies, focused on developing and disseminating education. When the organization faced leaving its previous premises, it saw an opportunity to create a work environment that not only meets today’s needs, but also actively strengthens the company’s mission: to promote learning, collaboration, and innovation.

More Than a Workplace – How ST – The union of Civil Servants – Created an Office That Reflects Their Values

When Fackförbundet ST needed a new office, the goal was clear: the workplace should reflect the organisation's mission and values. With support from WeOffice, ST created a sustainable and flexible environment where collaboration, culture and wellbeing are at the centre. The outcome was more than new premises: an office that strengthens both ST's identity and a future-ready way of working.

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