How do I choose a good tenant rep?

Judge behavior, not polish. A good tenant rep slows you down, has told clients not to do deals, is transparent about how they're paid, plans for the years after signing, and will recommend a smaller or shorter deal when it serves you. Ask direct questions and watch whether answers are straight or evasive.

What's the difference between a custodial and a transactional broker?

A transactional broker's value is generating and closing the deal; they're paid at the transaction and move on. A custodial rep stewards your interest across the whole life of the lease and will advise against a deal when that's right.

What's the biggest red flag in a tenant rep?

Manufactured urgency combined with advice that always points toward a bigger deal and never a smaller one. If a broker has never told a client no, and every conversation bends toward closing quickly, their incentives likely aren't aligned with yours.

How to Spot a Real Tenant Rep (Not a Deal-Maker)

To spot a real tenant rep, watch behavior, not polish: a custodial rep slows you down, tells clients no, is straight about how they're paid, plans for the years after signing, and will steer you toward a smaller deal when that serves you. A generative deal-maker does the opposite. Consider this the caution post — the one distinction worth being a little paranoid about, because both types carry the same business card.

Why is this so hard to tell?

Because the honest custodian and the dying deal-maker look identical in a friendly first meeting — and the deal-maker is often the most polished person in the room. You can't tell them apart by how nice, confident, or well-dressed they are. You can only tell them apart by specific behaviors, before you've handed over your most important operating decision.

Two definitions first. A generative, transactional broker believes their value is that they generate the deal — find it, close it, take a cut, move on. Their loyalty is to the transaction, because that's where they get paid. A custodial rep believes the deal isn't the product at all; the product is stewardship of your interest across the whole life of your space. A custodian doesn't create your need — your business does — they carry it through a long process the other side runs for a living.

What are the red flags of a transactional deal-maker?

Watch for a cluster of these — no single one is proof, but together they're a warning.

Manufactured urgency. The deal always needs to happen now — another tenant circling, a rate about to rise. A rushed tenant doesn't stop to think, and thinking kills weak deals.
Every conversation bends toward closing. You raise a concern; they reframe it as a reason to sign.
They've never told you no. If the answer is always "yes, let's do it," their incentive only points one way.
Vagueness about pay. Ask how they're compensated and whether it ever diverges from your outcome. Evasion is an answer.
They rush past defining your needs. Tours feel like progress; the homework that right-sizes the deal gets skipped.
They go quiet about the future. Ask what happens after signing. A deal-maker has nothing to sell you there.
They steer you bigger, always. More space, longer term, higher rate — never smaller.

What are the green flags of a custodial rep?

The reassuring signals are the mirror image, and just as observable.

They slow you down. Their value doesn't depend on rushing you.
They've told clients no — and will tell you. Ask: "Have you ever advised a client not to do a deal?" A steward has real stories.
They're straight about money. Plain answers on how they're paid and where incentives create tension.
They do the homework before the tours. Real time spent defining size, term, location, true budget.
They talk about after. Tracking your renewal dates, being there for disputes and reconciliations.
They steer you smaller when smaller is right. Less space, a shorter term, "stay put and renew" — even though it shrinks their fee. This is the single clearest tell.

What questions should I ask a tenant rep?

Ask a handful of direct questions and watch how they're handled — the handling is as revealing as the answer.

Have you ever told a client not to do a deal — what happened? Exactly how and by whom are you paid, and could your pay and my best outcome ever diverge? What happens after I sign — are you still involved, or does our relationship end at closing? Do you represent this landlord or building in any way? Is there a version where the right move is that I don't lease anything at all?

A custodian answers directly, even when it's awkward. A deal-maker reframes, reassures, or gets slippery. You're watching a person reveal which kind of broker they are.