5 Questions to Ask Before Using a Commercial Real Estate Broker in Canada

Before entering a commercial lease negotiation, choosing the right commercial real estate broker can have a major impact on the outcome. The right advisor should understand your business goals, provide market insight, and help you make decisions that support your long-term interests.

But how do you know if a broker is the right fit for your needs?

Here are 5 questions to ask before working with a commercial real estate broker in Canada. These questions can help you better understand the broker’s experience, approach, and commitment to representing your objectives throughout the leasing process.

In Canadian commercial real estate, brokerage relationships can vary depending on the type of representation, market relationships, and the role a broker is engaged to play. While industry connections can provide valuable market knowledge, tenants should understand who their advisor represents, how advice is structured, and whether the support they receive is aligned with their business goals.

1. Do you have a pre-existing relationship with major landlords that we may be dealing with?

A broker’s market knowledge and relationships can be valuable, but tenants should understand how those relationships may influence the leasing process. Ask about their experience with the landlords, ownership groups, and properties you may be negotiating with.

Ask: How many transactions have you completed with this landlord or ownership group in the past few years?

A broker with landlord ties may still be helpful, but their role is not always fully aligned with yours. A tenant-only advisor removes that uncertainty and is accountable to one client: the tenant.

2. What experience do you have representing tenants in my market?

Commercial real estate is highly local, and that is especially true across Canada. Leasing dynamics in Montreal are different from those in Calgary, Halifax, or smaller tertiary markets.

Ask: “What tenant-side experience do you have in this city or region, and what similar deals have you handled?”

A strong broker should be able to speak to current market conditions, landlord behavior, incentive trends, vacancy levels, and how those factors affect tenants. The more relevant the experience, the more useful the advice.

3. How do you approach lease negotiation?

A broker’s job should not end with finding space. For tenants, the real value often comes in the negotiation: rent, term, renewal rights, expansion options, operating costs, assignment flexibility, and hidden clauses that can affect long-term occupancy costs.

Ask: “How do you negotiate leases to protect tenant interests over the full term?”

Look for a process that is structured, data-driven, and tenant-focused. Good negotiation is not just about getting to yes, it is about making sure the yes still works for your business years later.

4. Will you show me the full market objectively?

Some brokers naturally favor properties they already know, especially when those listings come from established relationships. That is not always a problem, but tenants should know whether the search is truly comprehensive.

Ask: “Will you present all viable options, or only properties connected to your network?”

A complete market view helps tenants compare space, pricing, incentives, and fit on a true apples-to-apples basis. If the search is filtered too early, the final decision may be based on convenience rather than the best fit.

5. How are you compensated?

Understanding how your advisor is compensated is an important part of choosing the right commercial real estate partner.

In many commercial lease transactions, including tenant representation assignments, broker compensation is often tied to the transaction. The important question is not simply how an advisor is paid, but whether the compensation structure is clear and whether the advice you receive is aligned with your business objectives.

Transparency helps tenants understand the relationship they are entering and ensures expectations are aligned from the beginning.

Why This Matters for Commercial Real Estate Tenants

Many tenants assume all brokers are working equally for them, but that is not always the case. Traditional brokerage models often involve relationships on both sides of the transaction, which can create subtle conflicts even when everyone is acting in good faith.

That is why a tenant-only advisory model can be so valuable. It removes landlord-side conflict from the process and keeps the strategy centered on the tenant’s goals from the first conversation through lease execution.

In commercial real estate, the right questions reveal alignment. And when the goal is to secure space that supports your business, alignment is everything.

If you are preparing for a lease negotiation, renewal, or relocation, Landmark Advisory Services provides tenant-only representation across Canada. Our role is to ensure your interests come first throughout the entire leasing process, from strategy and market review through to negotiation and execution.

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