Why I Love a Good Sublease (And You Should Too)

Subleases offer flexible terms, furnished spaces, and below-market rents—if you know how to find them.

In commercial real estate, not all deals are created equal. While most tenants follow the conventional path of negotiating with landlords, there’s a lesser-known lane that savvy business owners should be watching closely: SUBLEASES.

And I’ll be honest—I’m a sucker for a good deal and a sublease is no exception. Why? Because behind every sublease is a motivated party who is ready to make a deal.

What Is a Sublease?

A sublease is when a current tenant (the "sublessor") leases out their space to a new tenant (the "sublessee")—usually because they’ve outgrown the space, downsized, gone remote, or merged with another company. The original lease remains in place, and the sublessee often inherits favorable terms—if they play their cards right.

The Magic of Sublease Motivation

Let’s compare motivations.

Landlords? They’re usually thinking about long-term lease comps and protecting their rent roll. They’re in no rush. They have cashflow insulating them from some urgent decision making. Their priority is to keep their buildings leased at the highest possible rates to maintain value and leverage in future deals.

Sublessors, on the other hand, are bleeding cash. They’re paying rent on space they no longer use—and every month without a subtenant is another hit to their bottom line. That makes them far more motivated. And motivated parties make deals. They may be willing, and often do, take a significant discount on their rent. They are looking to mitigate their loss. 

Why Subleases Are Gold for Small Businesses

For a local business or a lean startup looking for space, subleases can be a dream scenario:

✅ Below-Market Rent: Sublessors often offer aggressive pricing just to stop the financial bleed.
✅ Shorter Lease Terms: Instead of committing to 5 or 7 years, many subleases offer 12–36 month deals.
✅ Furnished Spaces: Office furniture, build-outs, and IT setups are often included—saving you tens of thousands upfront.
✅ Move-In Ready: You can usually hit the ground running within days, not months.
✅ Low-Cost Flexibility: Subleases are a great test drive—perfect for a growing business trying out a new market or team size.

There is a problem... or a hurdle to over come. 

Here’s something most brokers won’t tell you: Subleases aren’t always popular in the brokerage world.

They can be less lucrative, more complex (thanks to master lessor approval), and occasionally come with tricky credit questions. So they’re not always top of mind when a client calls looking for space. Even more, Brokers aren't sure if they are going to get paid. That is a concern when deals are hard to come by...

But that’s exactly why we at New South Commercial like them. We're not looking to push the easiest deal— we're often times looking to find the best possible terms for our clients.

Final Word

If you’re a business owner exploring office, flex, or retail space, ask your broker (or me!) to include subleases in your search. In this market, especially with a surplus of unused space from the remote work revolution, there are real gems waiting to be uncovered.

Let other people overlook them. I’ll keep chasing the deals.

Ready to explore what’s out there?

Let’s talk subleases, strategy, and how to get your business into the perfect space without overpaying.