The short version
Before you sign, you will know your total lease costs, your exit and renewal position, and the restoration and common-charge terms you are accepting, written down in plain English and reflected in the latest draft.
Lease terms negotiation support keeps the lease from surprising you after you have spent money on fit-out. You asked for help pinning down what is normal in the local market and getting the landlord’s draft into terms you can live with. You will have clear asks, clear counters, and a deal sheet your lawyer can use without guesswork. If you want to proceed, I will start with a short tenant brief call.
I work from the lease clauses that create expensive problems later. I pull rent and terms comparables for your target building, turn them into specific counters, and keep a written trail of what the landlord agreed to and what is still open, so you do not get squeezed at the end.
About me
I am Hiroshi Asano, a commercial broker. I do lease work where the main job is translating market practice into clauses you can point at, then getting those clauses accepted. Most clients come to me at the moment a unit looks right, but the paperwork still feels like a trap full of small print.
I am picky about definitions and I put them in writing. If a clause is vague, I ask what it means in money, in time, and in responsibility, then I push for language that matches the answer. I also keep negotiations disciplined by tracking each open point, the latest landlord position, and your decision on it.
Selected work
These are three recent lease negotiations where the work was making the terms measurable before the signature.
Portfolio
Street-front retail lease. The draft lease pushed restoration to “original condition” with no baseline. I documented current condition, tied restoration to that baseline, and narrowed repairs to tenant-caused damage, which reduced end-of-lease risk.
Office move from serviced space. Common charges were listed as a single monthly number with no scope. I defined what the charges covered, excluded capital works, and added a review method tied to documented building expenses so increases had a reason.
Second-location shop expansion. The landlord offered a short term with a renewal clause that could reset conditions. I negotiated a renewal option with a defined notice window and a rent review method, so the second term was predictable.
“I understood the lease before I signed, and the surprises disappeared.”
Owner-operator, opening a second location
How I work
I keep this work practical. You will always know what is agreed, what is still open, and what each clause means for your cash, your flexibility, and your exit.
1. Tenant brief Day 1 We do a short call and I write a tenant brief and constraint list. I will ask about use, opening date, fit-out needs, budget limits, and what you cannot accept in renewal and exit. You will confirm the brief before I negotiate from it. 2. Market check Days 2-4 I pull Kanazawa rent and terms comparables for your target building and close alternatives. I focus on the items landlords actually move on: deposit and key money practice, renewal language, restoration, common charges, and repair responsibility. You get the “normal range” and the outliers. 3. Counters and calls Days 5-10 I mark up the lease terms, build a counter list, and run the negotiation call with the landlord side. After each contact, I send you negotiation notes that show what changed, what did not, and what the landlord needs to decide. You choose the trade-offs, I document them. 4. Handoff and close Days 11-14 I produce a deal sheet that matches the latest agreed position and I coordinate heads of terms with the landlord, your lawyer, and any guarantor. If the landlord issues a revised draft, I review it against the agreed points so the wording and the deal stay aligned.
What it costs
Pick the tier that matches how far along you are with the landlord and paperwork. All three cover the full 14-day run-up to signing.
Priced items
Getting started
If you want me to hold the line on the lease terms before you commit, start here.
1. Sign this proposal to book the work. 2. Pay the 30% booking invoice within 14 days of its date. 3. Send the latest lease draft and the landlord’s offer email, and I will schedule the tenant brief call.
Signature
Fee summary
Payment
30% is due to book the work when you sign. The remaining 70% is due when the engagement is complete. Each invoice is payable within 14 days of its date.
Start and schedule. Once the booking payment lands, I hold the next 14 days for the Tenant brief, market check, counters and calls, then handoff and close. If the landlord goes quiet, I pause and restart when they respond.
What I need from you. I need the draft offer or lease, the unit address, your target opening date, and your constraints in writing. If a guarantor or lawyer is involved, I need their contact details before Day 11.
Changes in scope. This covers one unit and one negotiation thread. If you switch buildings, add a second unit, or the landlord issues a materially new set of terms, I will tell you what changes before I do more work.
Decision log and notes
I’ll keep a running counter list, call notes, and a deal sheet so nothing gets lost in back-and-forth. You’ll get copies as we go, and the final set at handoff.
Lease text and legal review. I am not your lawyer, and I do not give legal advice. I translate market terms into plain English, propose counterterms, and coordinate handoff, but your lawyer should review the final lease.
Ownership of work. After the engagement is paid in full, you own the comparables pack, cost model, counter list, and deal sheet for use on this lease. I may reuse anonymised lessons learned in my internal checklists.
