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Besides rent, taxes, and triple net, the terms of your lease may require you to take out your own property and fire insurance. Although you pay the cost of that insurance to the insurance company, it is still as much a cost of renting the space as rent is. Check additional insurance requirements as a part of your investigation into what the space will cost you.

Compare your rent with other comparable properties in the area. A real estate agent can help. Make sure what you will be paying is comparable to other similar spaces. Differences in price may reflect some crucial differences between complexes. Larger spaces and spaces with longer leases usually have lower square-foot prices. Older buildings and buildings in bad neighborhoods usually have lower overall prices. But some complexes are just a good deal. Either way, comparing prices helps you determine whether a space is worth what you are going to pay for it.

Negotiate a Lease You Can Live With

Once you’ve picked out a space, it’s time to get the lease nailed down. Unlike many apartment leases, commercial leases typically have some “wiggle room.” In other words, a certain amount of negotiation over rent, improvement to the space, payment schedules, and other provisions is not only possible, it’s expected. In fact, most commercial lease contracts are initially biased toward the landlord. It’s your job to protect your interests—not to make the contract biased toward you, but to bring it back to center, where it is fair to both parties.