Leasing
How to negotiate a rent-free fit-out period on your Kampala lease
A few weeks of rent-free time at the start of a lease can fund your entire fit-out. Here is how to ask for it, and win.
When you take on a new commercial space, the first weeks usually go on fitting it out, painting, wiring, partitioning, before you earn a single shilling from it. A rent-free period covers exactly that window, and on the right deal it can save you millions.
Why landlords say yes
A landlord’s worst outcome is an empty unit. Faced with a choice between holding out for full rent from day one and securing a committed tenant who will stay for years, most will trade a few weeks of rent for certainty. The longer the lease you offer, the more rent-free time you can reasonably ask for.
- Bring a fit-out plan, so the landlord can see the work justifies the time you are requesting.
- Tie the ask to the lease length, a longer commitment earns a longer rent-free period.
- Get it in writing, the exact rent-free dates belong in the lease, not a side conversation.
- Negotiate the whole package, some landlords prefer to give rent-free time rather than cut the headline rent.
Treat the rent-free period as part of the total cost of the deal, not a favour. Compare spaces on Qubicle on the all-in numbers, rent, service charge and rent-free time together, and you will see which is genuinely cheaper to occupy in year one.
From the marketplace
