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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>

What Is a Tenant Improvement Loan and Should I Use One?

Direct Answer

A tenant improvement (TI) loan is financing you take out to pay for build-out costs that your landlord won't cover — demising walls, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, finishes, the works. Before you borrow a dollar, the real money move is to make the landlord pay first. In most US markets a landlord will hand over a tenant improvement allowance of $30 to $90 per square foot on a multi-year deal, and on a hot second-generation space they'll go higher.

On a 3,000 SF space at $50/SF, that's $150,000 of someone else's money. You borrow only for the gap above the allowance.

When you do borrow, the cheapest capital wins. A SBA 504 or SBA 7(a) loan runs roughly prime + 2.25% to 4.75% (call it 9% to 11.5% in a high-rate environment) with terms up to 10 years for leasehold improvements. A bank equipment or leasehold-improvement term loan is similar.

The expensive trap is landlord-funded TI amortized into rent: the landlord fronts the extra build-out and bakes it back into your rent at 8% to 12% interest, often disguised so you never see the rate. That "free" money is frequently the most expensive loan in the deal.

So the order of operations: (1) maximize the free TI allowance, (2) get free rent abatement to cover soft costs, (3) finance the remaining gap with an SBA or bank loan at a real, disclosed rate, and (4) refuse landlord-amortized TI unless the implied rate beats your bank. Use a TI loan only for the gap, only when the lease term is long enough to amortize it, and never sign a personal guarantee on build-out debt you could have made the landlord eat.

How a Tenant Improvement Allowance Actually Works

The TI allowance is a per-square-foot dollar figure the landlord contributes toward turning a raw or second-generation space into your space. It is the single biggest concession you'll negotiate, and most first-time tenants leave 20% to 40% of it on the table.

• Typical ranges: $30–$50/SF for office in average markets, $60–$100/SF for first-generation office or medical, $15–$40/SF for retail and restaurant shells where the tenant is expected to invest heavily, and $50–$120/SF in landlord-aggressive lease-up situations.
• It scales with term and rate. A landlord underwrites TI against the rent you'll pay. A 10-year lease at $35/SF justifies far more allowance than a 3-year deal. Push your term to unlock more allowance, then negotiate early-termination rights so the long term doesn't trap you.
• Turnkey vs. Allowance. In a turnkey deal the landlord builds to an agreed plan and eats overruns — great for first-timers who don't want construction risk. In an allowance deal you control the build but cover anything over the per-SF number. Turnkey shifts overrun risk to the landlord; take it if you can't manage a GC.
• Use it or lose it. Unused allowance usually reverts to the landlord unless you negotiate the right to apply the balance to rent or to a moving/furniture credit. Always add: "any unused TI allowance shall be applied as a credit against base rent."

The cheapest TI dollar is the one the landlord gives you. Exhaust it before any loan.

When a TI Loan Makes Sense — and When It Doesn't

Borrow when the math and the lease term line up. Skip it when you're financing someone else's asset on a short fuse.

• Good reasons to borrow: the build-out creates revenue-producing capacity (a dental op, a commercial kitchen, lab space), the lease term is 7–10 years so you can amortize, and your blended cost of capital is below what the landlord charges for amortized TI.
• Bad reasons to borrow: a 3-year lease where you'd be paying off a 7-year loan on space you'll vacate, cosmetic finishes that add no enterprise value, or borrowing to cover costs the landlord would have funded if you'd simply asked.
• Match the loan term to the lease term. Never amortize TI debt past your lease expiration. If you sign a 5-year lease, your TI loan should be 5 years or less — otherwise you're making payments on improvements you no longer occupy.
• Watch the personal guarantee. SBA loans require a personal guarantee from any owner with 20%+ equity. Landlord-amortized TI usually rides on your existing lease guarantee. Know which assets are on the line before you sign.

A clean test: if the improvement still pays you back assuming you leave at the earliest termination date, finance it. If it only pencils by assuming you renew, you're gambling.

TI Loan Options Ranked by True Cost

The same $200,000 of build-out money costs wildly different amounts depending on the source. Ranked cheapest to most expensive in a typical environment:

• Landlord TI allowance (free): $0 cost of capital. Always first.
• Rent abatement (free): 2–6 months free rent offsets soft costs and early cash burn at no interest.
• SBA 504 loan: long term, low down (10% equity), rates around prime-linked 9–11%, ideal for owner-occupied-style build-outs and heavy equipment.
• SBA 7(a) loan: more flexible use, rates prime + 2.25–4.75%, up to 10-year terms for leasehold improvements.
• Bank leasehold-improvement term loan: 8–12%, 3–7 year terms, faster close than SBA but stricter on collateral.
• Equipment financing: for the FF&E portion only (ovens, chairs, lab gear), 7–14%, secured by the equipment.
• Landlord-amortized TI: the landlord fronts extra TI and recoups it in rent at a disclosed or hidden 8–12%. Convenient, often the priciest — and if the implied rate is above your bank's, refuse it.
• Merchant cash advance / high-rate online loan: effective APRs of 30–80%+. Never use these for construction.

How Not to Get Screwed on TI

The landlord controls the build process by default, and that's where the overcharges live. Take back control with lease language.

• Demand disbursement controls. Allowance should be paid against AIA pay applications with lien waivers, not held hostage until "final completion" defined however the landlord likes. Add: "Landlord shall fund allowance within 30 days of each draw request."
• Cap the landlord's construction management fee. Landlords love a 3% to 5% CM fee on the whole TI budget for "oversight." Cap it at 2% or strike it when you're hiring your own GC.
• Kill the markup on landlord-supplied work. If the landlord's affiliate does the build, you'll see 10–20% markups on labor and materials. Require competitive bids from at least three GCs and the right to choose.
• Watch base-building vs. Tenant work. Code-required upgrades — ADA, sprinklers, structural, roof, primary HVAC — are usually landlord obligations, not TI you should fund. Push these into the base building.
• Get the allowance funded before you owe rent. Negotiate that rent commencement doesn't start until the landlord has fully funded TI and the space is delivered ready. Every week of delay should push rent commencement back.

The tenant who reads the work letter as carefully as the rent clause keeps tens of thousands of dollars.

FAQ

What's a typical tenant improvement allowance per square foot? Office runs $30–$100/SF depending on market and whether it's first- or second-generation space; retail and restaurant shells often see $15–$50/SF because tenants invest more. On a long lease in a soft market, push for the high end and ask for unused allowance as a rent credit.

Is landlord-amortized TI a good deal? Sometimes — but it's a loan in disguise at typically 8–12% interest baked into rent. Always ask the landlord to disclose the implied interest rate, then compare it to an SBA 7(a) or bank loan at 9–11.5%. If the landlord's rate is higher, finance it yourself.

Will a TI loan require a personal guarantee? Almost always. SBA loans require a personal guarantee from any 20%+ owner, and bank leasehold loans typically do too. Negotiate a burn-down or release tied to performance, and never stack a personal guarantee on debt the landlord could have funded as free allowance.

How long should my TI loan term be? No longer than your lease term, including the earliest date you could be forced or choose to leave. Financing a 7-year loan against a 5-year lease means paying for improvements in a space you no longer occupy.

Can I use rent abatement instead of borrowing? Yes, and you should stack both. Two to six months of free rent offsets soft costs and early cash burn at zero interest, reducing how much TI loan you actually need. Free rent plus a fat allowance can eliminate borrowing entirely.

Sources

• CBRE — U.S. Office Occupier Tenant Improvement Allowance and Concessions reports
• JLL — Office and Industrial Leasing Concession Trends (rent abatement and TI benchmarks)
• Cushman & Wakefield — Tenant Representation: Work Letter and TI Negotiation guidance
• U.S. Small Business Administration — 504 and 7(a) Loan Program terms and eligibility for leasehold improvements
• NAIOP — Office Development and Tenant Improvement cost benchmarking research
• BOMA International — Building Owners and Managers guidance on TI work letters and construction management fees
• IREM (Institute of Real Estate Management) — landlord/tenant build-out and disbursement practices