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Free Rent Burnoff Calculator

Free rent is the top concession tool on commercial leases. The headline number looks painful — six months free on a $30 rent — but amortized over 7-10 years, the NER impact is much smaller. This calculator quantifies concession value, net effective rent, and straight-line recognition.

$

Free rent value (landlord concession)

$192,000

Total cash rent collected

$2,496,000

Net effective rent / SF / year

$29.71

Straight-line annual rent

$356,571

Burn-off amortization / paying month

$2,462

Effective discount

0.07%

How the math works

Free rent is a front-loaded concession — tenant moves in, pays nothing for X months, then rent starts. Over the lease term, free rent effectively amortizes as a rent discount. Net effective rent (NER) is the per-SF rate a landlord actually collects after free rent and other concessions.

GAAP requires straight-lining free rent. Cash basis follows the payment schedule. Always quote NER when comparing landlord offers with different free rent packages.

How to Use

  1. Enter contract rent per SF per year and leased SF.
  2. Enter free rent months and lease term.
  3. Read free rent value, total cash rent, and NER per SF.

Frequently Asked Questions

Typical free rent?

Office: 1 month per year of term (so 5 years = 5 months free). Retail in soft markets: 2+ months per year. Industrial: usually 0-3 months total. Varies heavily by market and vacancy.

Why amortize straight-line?

GAAP requires smoothing concessions across the full term so monthly rent recognition is even. This creates 'deferred rent' — you recognize rent tenant hasn't paid yet, balanced by a receivable that burns off as actual cash comes in.

Free rent upfront vs spread?

Upfront (months 1-6) is the standard — helps tenants with moving expenses. Spread (every June gets waived) is rare and harder to administer. Always check which structure applies.

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