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Don’t get screwed.</text><text x="58" y="258" font-family="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" font-size="30" font-weight="600" fill="#6b5b4d">Leases, TI, NNN &amp; buildouts — negotiated in your favor</text><g transform="translate(1010,86)" fill="none" stroke="#C0531F" stroke-width="9" stroke-linejoin="round"><rect x="20" y="40" width="150" height="130"/><line x1="20" y1="40" x2="95" y2="6"/><line x1="170" y1="40" x2="95" y2="6"/><rect x="50" y="80" width="36" height="36"/><rect x="104" y="80" width="36" height="36"/><rect x="74" y="128" width="42" height="42"/></g></svg>

Should I Take My TI Allowance as Cash or Let the Landlord Amortize It Into Rent?

Direct Answer

Take the cash (or direct reimbursement) TI allowance whenever you can get it, and refuse landlord amortization unless the blended rate is genuinely cheaper than your own capital. When a landlord "amortizes" tenant improvements into your rent, they are lending you the buildout money and charging interest — typically 6% to 9%, sometimes 10%+ — baked silently into a higher base rent.

On a $50/SF allowance over a 7-year term at 8%, you repay roughly $0.78/SF per year in disguised interest, or about $5,400 per year on a 7,000 SF space you never see itemized. If your business can fund the buildout from cash or a bank line at 7-8%, a true cash allowance almost always wins because you keep the principal off your rent roll and out of every future renewal and percentage-rent calculation.

The move: negotiate a turnkey buildout or a cash/reimbursement allowance first. Only accept amortized TI when (a) you have zero capital, (b) the landlord's amortization rate is at or below your borrowing cost, and (c) you cap the amortization to a defined dollar amount with a written payoff schedule.

How TI Amortization Actually Costs You Money

When TI is amortized, the landlord adds the buildout cost plus interest to your base rent for the life of the lease. The two hidden taxes you pay:

• Compounding on every escalation. If base rent bumps 3% annually, you are escalating the amortized TI too. You pay 3% more interest on borrowed buildout money every single year — interest on a loan that escalates.
• Renewal poisoning. At renewal, the "market rate" the landlord quotes is often anchored to your inflated, TI-loaded base rent. You can end up paying for the same buildout twice across two terms.

A $40/SF TI package amortized at 9% over 5 years adds roughly $10.00/SF in total interest versus the raw cost. On 5,000 SF, that is $50,000 of pure financing cost — for improvements that may be obsolete by renewal.

When Amortized TI Is Actually the Right Call

Amortization is not always the enemy. Take it when:

• You have no capital and the rate is fair. If the landlord amortizes at 6% and your only alternative is an SBA loan at 10.5% or a credit card, the landlord is your cheapest lender. Use them.
• You need more TI than the landlord will give as cash. Landlords cap cash allowances tightly but will "lend" you extra buildout dollars via amortization. Negotiate a base allowance in cash plus an optional amortized tranche for overages, with the rate locked in writing.
• The space is highly specialized to you. If you are pouring $120/SF into a medical or restaurant fit-out the landlord can't reuse, making them co-finance it keeps your skin lower and their incentive aligned.

The Levers That Save You the Most

• Demand a true cash/reimbursement allowance, not "rent credits." Rent credits expire if you leave early; reimbursed cash is yours once spent.
• Cap the amortization rate in writing. Landlords float 8-10%; push for 6-7% and tie it to the prime rate or a treasury benchmark, not a number they invent.
• Get the payoff balance disclosed. Require a written amortization schedule so you know the buyout figure if you sublease, assign, or the landlord sells.
• Net the TI against free rent. Sometimes 3-4 months of free rent plus a smaller cash allowance beats a big amortized package. Run both side by side on a spreadsheet.
• Right of offset. If the landlord fails to fund the cash allowance on schedule, you should be able to deduct unpaid TI from rent — write that remedy in.

What to Ask Before You Sign

• "Is this allowance paid as cash reimbursement, or amortized into base rent?"
• "What interest rate are you applying to the amortized portion, and is it disclosed on my rent schedule?"
• "Does the amortized TI escalate with my annual base-rent bumps?" (Push for it to be carved out and held flat.)
• "What is the unamortized balance if I assign or terminate early?"
• "Will you fund TI on a draw schedule as work completes, or as a lump-sum reimbursement after completion?"

Traps That Cost Tenants the Most

• The blended-rate disguise. Landlords quote one base rent and never separate the TI financing. Always ask for the rent with and without the buildout so you can see the real interest.
• Allowance clawbacks on default. Some leases let the landlord recover the unamortized TI as accelerated rent if you default — turning a buildout into a balloon payment. Cap the recovery.
• "Landlord's work" gotchas. A turnkey buildout sounds free, but landlords pad turnkey budgets with 15-20% management fees and then under-build. Get a detailed scope and finish schedule attached as an exhibit.
• Unused allowance forfeiture. If you don't spend the full allowance, you usually lose it. Negotiate to apply the unused balance to free rent.

FAQ

Is amortized TI ever truly "free" buildout money? No. It is always a loan. The landlord recovers every dollar plus interest through higher rent. "Free TI" is a marketing phrase, not a financial fact.

What's a fair TI amortization interest rate in 2027? Push for 6-7%. Anything at or above 9% usually beats your own bank financing only if your credit is weak. Always benchmark against an actual SBA or bank quote before agreeing.

Can I take cash TI and still get free rent? Often yes. Free rent and TI come from different landlord budgets. Tenant-rep brokers routinely stack a cash allowance, 2-4 months free rent, and a tenant-favorable escalation in one deal.

What happens to amortized TI if I leave early? You typically owe the unamortized balance. Demand the payoff schedule up front and cap any acceleration so an early exit doesn't trigger a balloon payment.

Sources

• CBRE — Office Tenant Improvement Allowance & Concessions guidance
• JLL — Tenant Representation: structuring TI and free-rent packages
• Cushman & Wakefield — Lease negotiation and buildout cost benchmarks
• NAIOP — Commercial real estate development and TI financing research
• BOMA International — Operating cost and lease economics standards
• IREM (Institute of Real Estate Management) — lease administration practices
• The Tenant Advisor / tenant-rep broker commentary on TI amortization