Tenant Representation Guide: What to Verify Before You Hire, Then the Four Steps
Before you hire a tenant representative, verify three things: that the firm is a licensed New York real estate broker, that the person has closed leases for tenants at your size and in your neighborhoods, and that companies like yours will vouch for them. Professional designations are optional extras and say less than the license and the record. The process itself has four steps: needs and strategy, survey and shortlist, tours and proposals, negotiation and lease. A rep is worth having on a renewal too, because a tenant who has priced real alternatives negotiates from a stronger position.
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Have a broker call meUpdated 2026-10-03 · Nomad Group
Three things to verify about a tenant rep before signing anything
- The license. The firm should hold a New York brokerage license, and the person you deal with should be licensed under it. Ask, and confirm what you are told.
- The record at your size, in your neighborhoods. Ask which leases this person closed for tenants in the past two years, near your square footage and where you are looking. Someone who places large corporate tenants and someone who places 40-person teams know different buildings and different landlords.
- References. Ask for two or three clients at your stage and call them. Ask what went wrong, how quickly the rep answered, and whether the broker in the pitch meeting was the one at the negotiating table.
The block on this page makes the second check concrete. It is set to about 42 people, and a rep for a team that size should already know buildings like these and what their landlords have agreed to before.
Where professional designations sit on the checklist
Some brokers carry professional designations after their names. Treat one as a point in favor and nothing more. A designation does not tell you whether this person leased an office for a company like yours, in your neighborhood, recently. The license says they may do the work, and the record says they have. Check those two first and the letters last.
The tenant representation process in four steps
- Needs and strategy. How many people today and a year and a half from now, when you must be in, what you can spend and where, all put in writing. This is also where the route is chosen: direct lease or sublease, pre-built or custom.
- Survey and shortlist. The rep checks the requirement against what is available, including space that is not publicly listed, and brings back a short list with sizes and asking rents.
- Tours and proposals. You walk the shortlist, test fits are drawn on the finalists, and each landlord is asked for a proposal. The rep converts every proposal to effective rent so they can be compared.
- Negotiation and lease. The economics are settled in a letter of intent, then the lease is negotiated alongside your attorney.
What is already public about Nomad, to check before you call
Hold us to the same list. Nomad is a licensed New York real estate broker with its office at 276 Fifth Avenue, Suite 402. The asking rent on nearly every listing we represent is printed in the rent table. The client stories name companies we placed, and the team page shows who would run your search. Nomad also offers agency leasing and owner representation, so ask whether any building on your list is one it leases for its owner.
Floors that fit a team of 42
Live from our listings · 6 of the 9, smallest firstA team of 42 plans on about 7,350 square feet at 175 a person. 9 floors on our book sit in the range that fits, 7,350 to 13,230 square feet, asking $43 to $200 per square foot per year on the 7 with a published rent.
- Floors
- 9
- Sizes
- 7,500-12,500 sq ft
- Asking rent
- $43-$200 / sq ft
- 5 Bryant Park, Entire 33rd Floor 7,500 sq ft $96/sq ft Bryant Park about 43 people
- 45 West 45th Street, Entire 10th Floor 8,230 sq ft rent on request Midtown about 47 people
- 151 West 26th Street, Partial 10th Floor 9,000 sq ft $64/sq ft Chelsea about 51 people
- 127 West 26th Street, Entire 7th Floor 9,500 sq ft $50/sq ft Chelsea about 54 people
- 1235 Broadway, Entire 4th Floor 9,500 sq ft $62/sq ft NoMad about 54 people
- 30 West 21st Street, Entire 9th & 10th Floors 10,562 sq ft rent on request Flatiron about 60 people
The full guide
This page is the short answer. The long one, with the numbers worked through, is here:
Related topics
- Why Use a Broker for Commercial Real Estate, and What It Really Costs
- Commercial Real Estate Tenant Advisory Services: What Good Looks Like
- Startup or Growth Stage: How Commercial Real Estate Brokers Run Two Different Searches
- Commercial Real Estate Brokerage Services: What a Broker on Your Side Negotiates
Is a tenant rep worth having on a renewal?
Yes. A landlord negotiating a renewal knows whether you have looked elsewhere. A rep who has toured and priced real alternatives gives you a position to negotiate from, where a tenant who only asks for a better number has none. Renew or relocate works through the decision.
Should I only hire a broker with a designation such as CCIM?
No. A designation is optional, and we have published nothing on what any designation requires, so we will not describe one here. What you can verify yourself is the license, the record on tenant-side office leases and the references.
What should a rep for a 40-person team already know?
The buildings that hold a team that size in your neighborhoods, which of their landlords give free rent or allowance readily, and where sublease space of that size tends to appear. Ask for two recent examples.
How many references should I call?
Two for each rep you are seriously considering. Pick clients near your size, and ask each one the same three questions so the answers can be compared. How to choose a tenant rep broker lists more.
Talk to a broker
Want this answered for your team?
Tell us three things: team size, timing, budget. A first shortlist can be ready within 24 hours, with the asking rent on every floor that publishes one.
- Within the houra broker reaches out during business hours, no automated triage
- On your sidewe work for you on your search, and the landlord usually pays our fee
- Open pricingasking rent published for 46 of 49 floors, size and address for all
- 300+ officesdelivered in New York, 2M+ sq ft leased
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