What's a typical lease term in Johannesburg?

5 years for institutional Class A. Shorter terms are achievable on smaller floor plates with stronger covenants.

How is rent quoted in Johannesburg?

In ZAR/sqft/year. We also publish a USD-normalised view ($12/sqft/yr) for cross-market comparison.

Net leases.

Typical lease length: 5 years.
Typical rent-free: 6 months.
Vacancy: 16.2%; trend flat.
Net leases.

Johannesburg office lease norms

Net leases.

TL;DR

Typical lease length: 5 years.
Typical rent-free: 6 months.
Vacancy: 16.2%; trend flat.
Net leases.

Structure

Net leases. 5-7 year terms with escalation clauses. Free rent of 4-8 months and TI of ZAR 800-1,500/sqm typical on a 5-year deal.

Negotiating levers

Free rent and TI remain the most negotiable line items; landlords prefer concessions to face-rent cuts because they preserve headline rent and implied valuation. Always model effective rent (face minus PV of concessions).

Key facts

city	Johannesburg
country	South Africa
region	EMEA
classARentLocal	220 ZAR/sqft/yr
classARentUsd	$12/sqft/yr
vacancy	16.2%
typicalLeaseYears	5
typicalRentFreeMonths	6
submarkets	5
primeYieldPct	9.4%

Frequently asked questions

What's a typical lease term in Johannesburg?: 5 years for institutional Class A. Shorter terms are achievable on smaller floor plates with stronger covenants.
How is rent quoted in Johannesburg?: In ZAR/sqft/year. We also publish a USD-normalised view ($12/sqft/yr) for cross-market comparison.

Editorial provenance

Reviewed by Samuel Okafor — EMEA contributing editor. Last updated 2026-04-15. See our methodology and editorial standards.

Primary sources for this page

CBRE Marketview reports — CBRE
JLL Office Insight — JLL
Cushman & Wakefield Marketbeat — Cushman & Wakefield
Savills World Research — Savills
Colliers Global Office Outlook — Colliers

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