1. What does a Tenant Representative actually do?

A Tenant Representative acts exclusively for occupiers, not landlords. At PPA Partners, we advise businesses on workplace strategy, lease negotiations, renewals, relocations, and fitout planning—always with your interests first. Our independence means no hidden agenda, no commission from landlords, and no steering you toward buildings that don’t fit your needs.

2. How is PPA Partners different from agents/leasing advisors or fitout companies offering “free” tenant representation?

Many so-called “tenant advisors” operate as sales funnels for landlords, builders, or fitout firms. Their model depends on pushing tenants into deals that benefit their aligned service providers. PPA Partners is different: we are 100% tenant-only. We accept no payments from landlords, developers, or fitout providers—eliminating conflicts of interest and ensuring our advice is transparent, independent, and in your best interests.

3. Why is independence so critical in tenant representation?

Real estate is rife with hidden conflicts—landlord commissions, kickbacks, and bundled “free” services that come at the tenant’s expense. Best practice is to embed independence in governance. That means your advisor should never have a financial tie to your landlord or your builder. Boards should demand a written declaration of independence, and they should mandate that tenant advisors are remunerated only by the tenant. Otherwise, the advice is conflicted by design — and that exposes directors to governance and probity risk.

Independence ensures that every recommendation we make is about achieving the best financial, cultural, and workplace outcome for your business, not for a third party. That’s why our motto is simple: we only work for tenants, never landlords.

4. How do you calculate the “real” cost of a lease?

When you normalise rent, you need to look beyond the face number. We calculate the net present value of rent, deducting incentives, incorporating landlord contributions, and adjusting for timing of cash flows. This converts deals into an ‘all-in effective rent per square metre.’ Without that modelling, tenants can be misled into thinking they’ve struck a better deal than they actually have.”

5. How do you reduce lease expiry risk?

The key is aligning expiry with the tenant’s business strategy and market cycles. If you let an expiry hit during a low-vacancy year, the landlord holds all the leverage. We use market pipeline data to map likely supply conditions and proactively reset expiry dates to give the tenant options. It’s really about avoiding single-event risk — a sophisticated risk management discipline most occupiers overlook.

6. How do you plan office space in a hybrid work environment?

“We start by measuring utilisation — badge swipes, sensor data, occupancy counts. From there, we run hybrid work ratios through scenario models to forecast space requirements under different assumptions. We then test multiple occupancy outcomes — say 0.9, 1.1, or 1.3 desks per FTE — before committing to a new lease. This prevents tenants locking into outdated footprints that don’t fit the way their staff actually work.”

7. When should we engage you if our lease is coming up for expiry?

Ideally, tenants should start the process 18–24 months before lease expiry (depending on size and complexity). This timeframe ensures you have genuine options, leverage in negotiations, and enough time to evaluate relocation, consolidation, or renewal strategies. Waiting too long risks being “jammed up” against dates, reducing your negotiating power and often leading to costly compromises.

8. Do you only assist with relocations, or can you negotiate lease renewals too?

We manage both. A renewal can often deliver better financial and workplace outcomes if negotiated strategically, while a relocation might unlock efficiency or cultural benefits. We benchmark both options so you can make an informed choice with full market transparency.

9. What size businesses do you work with?

We work with occupiers ranging from boutique firms under 300m² through to major corporates with 10,000m²+ portfolios. Many of our clients are professional services firms, government agencies, and corporates in Brisbane and across Queensland who value independent advice and structured negotiation.