Commercial lease expiry planner for Vancouver landlords

When should a Vancouver landlord start planning for a commercial lease expiry?

Twelve months before the end date. A Metro Vancouver commercial unit typically takes 60–120 days to lease once it is on the market, plus a 30–90 day fixturing period before rent starts, and a renewal negotiation needs the tenant's answer by six months out to leave room for the fallback. Most vacant months we see were caused by a plan that started at three months. The planner above turns your end date into the dates that matter.

What each step is for

12 months: read the lease. Note the end date, any renewal option, the notice window, holdover rent, restoration obligations and who pays for what. Every later deadline is in that document. 9 months: market read. Compare the current rent with live asking rates for your type and city using the lease rate estimator, and look at competing vacancies. 6 months: the conversation. Put a renewal proposal in writing, or tell the tenant you will not renew and start pre-marketing. 3 months: signed or listed. If the renewal is not signed, the listing goes live and showings run while you keep negotiating. 1 month: logistics. Move-out inspection, restoration, CAM reconciliation, deposit, keys and utilities, or, on a renewal, updated records and the next reminder.

Why the notice deadline is the date that matters most

A renewal option is the tenant's right, not yours. Until the notice deadline passes, the tenant decides whether the lease continues and on what basis (often at market rent set by a formula in the clause). After the deadline, if the tenant has not exercised the option in writing, it usually lapses and control returns to you. Deadlines under the lease and the BC Commercial Tenancy Act (RSBC 1996 c.57) are enforced strictly; confirm the exact wording and the required delivery method with a lawyer before you rely on a lapse. Our commercial lease expiry landlord playbook goes through the clause language and the negotiation step by step.

Renew or re-lease?

Run both lease paths through the net effective rent calculator before you decide. Re-lease when the tenant is a credit risk, the rent is well under market and the tenant will not close the gap, or you intend to reposition or sell.

What it costs

If you re-lease with a leasing specialist, market leasing commissions in Metro Vancouver are commonly 4–6% of total lease value or about one month's rent per year of term, and ongoing commercial property management typically runs 3–8% of gross collected rent (published rate cards from Metro Vancouver managers, 2025–26). A renewal negotiated by a manager is usually charged at a reduced rate. David's leasing fee is typically the first and last months' rent on the lease, and ongoing management is quoted per property; see commercial property management fees in Vancouver and commercial leasing services.

Vancouver specifics

• No Residential Tenancy Branch. Commercial disputes in BC go to court or arbitration under the lease, so the paper trail (dated letters, delivery receipts) matters.
• Holdover rents of 125–200% are common in Vancouver lease forms. They deter overstaying but do not replace a signed term when you go to refinance or sell.
• Terms of 3–5 years with 5-year options are the norm for small commercial space here, so most owners face this cycle every few years. Set the next reminder the day the new lease is signed.

Our portfolio shows the kind of space we manage through these cycles, from an 8,003 sq ft live/work building in North Vancouver to an 86,249 sq ft industrial site in Delta on a five-year term.

General information, not legal advice. The planner works from the date you enter; it does not read your lease. Confirm deadlines and notice mechanics with a lawyer.