How to Choose the Right Dental Lease Negotiator

The dental office lease is one of the most important contracts you will ever sign.

The details in the lease are critical: they will dictate your ability to assign the lease agreement (ex. sell your dental practice), grow and bring in associates, relocate the practice, and also determine what cost you will incur with respect to base rent and additional rent. During your tenancy, the sum of all rent paid will generally equate to one of the largest expenses your practice will incur.

Signing a bad lease can put you in a very dangerous position. It takes time and a certain level of expertise to negotiate a good lease that ensures you and your family are protected from ﬁnancial and legal risks and pitfalls in the future. As the leading firm in dental office lease negotiatiations, we’ve put together a checklist for choosing the right lease negotiator for your upcoming renewal negotiation:

Lease Negotiator Checklist

1) How many years has the negotiator been in business, and specialized in dental or medical office leases?

Many lease negotiators have multiple years of experience, but they are unfortunately not specific to medical or dental office leases. Typically their background experience includes working for a brokerage or landlord of some sort. It’s important to look for a qualified lease negotiator with a minimum of 15 years of experience in medical or dental lease negotiations to ensure you’re getting the quality and proficiency you need for a successful dental or medical office lease negotiation.

2) What is their primary reason for working with dental and medical tenants?

The medical and dental leasing environment is highly specialized, viewed by many as a prime opportunity to collect fees. Cirrus Consulting Group was founded by a group of doctors for doctors, providing an obvious edge and unrivaled level of understanding and expertise. For this reason, we come out stronger in the dental and medical leasing environment, delivering the best results with our successful 7 step negotiation process, customized for doctors.

3) What is the negotiator’s functional and technical expertise?

Many lease negotiators will only help their clients with the financial terms within the lease, and then refer the doctor to an attorney to handle the more legal aspects. This handoff process creates an obvious disconnect in the lease negotiation process, giving the landlord the upper hand. Look for an advisor who takes a comprehensive approach, complete with in-house negotiators, ex-landlords, research and legal teams who work together to review all aspects of the lease. The Cirrus team is structured this way which enables us to provide a stress-free negotiation environment for our doctors, achieving a better quality lease.

4) What sort of accreditation should the negotiator have?

Our advice is to avoid any negotiator whose credentials are limited to real estate licensing, locally. Seek out a negotiator whose credentials are recognized by relevant organizations in the dental and medical communities like the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), California Dental Association (CDA), and other dental organizations across North America. You need to feel confident that you’re choosing the right firm, and that means knowing your negotiators are in tune with, and supported by the greatest authorities and influencers in the medical and dental space. To view a list of some of Cirrus’ dental and medical industry partners, visit our partner’s page.

The Cirrus team of healthcare consultants and negotiators offer superior negotiation services to our doctors, providing the guidance and expertise necessary for the health and long-term security of their dental practices. Look out for Part 2 of choosing the right dental office lease negotiator, and never settle for second best.