What's a typical lease term in Ottawa?

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

How is rent quoted in Ottawa?

In CAD/sqft/year. We also publish a USD-normalised view ($26/sqft/yr) for cross-market comparison.

Triple-net (NNN) structures with operating cost and tax recoveries.

Typical lease length: 10 years.
Typical rent-free: 12 months.
Vacancy: 13.6%; trend flat.
Triple-net (NNN) structures with operating cost and tax recoveries.

Ottawa office lease norms

Triple-net (NNN) structures with operating cost and tax recoveries.

TL;DR

Typical lease length: 10 years.
Typical rent-free: 12 months.
Vacancy: 13.6%; trend flat.
Triple-net (NNN) structures with operating cost and tax recoveries.

Structure

Triple-net (NNN) structures with operating cost and tax recoveries. Government of Canada leases follow PSPC standard terms with 10-year base + renewal options. Free rent of 8-12 months and TI of CAD 65-90/sqft typical on private-sector 10-year deals.

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	Ottawa
country	Canada
region	Americas
classARentLocal	36 CAD/sqft/yr
classARentUsd	$26/sqft/yr
vacancy	13.6%
typicalLeaseYears	10
typicalRentFreeMonths	12
submarkets	5
primeYieldPct	6.2%

Frequently asked questions

What's a typical lease term in Ottawa?: 10 years for institutional Class A. Shorter terms are achievable on smaller floor plates with stronger covenants.
How is rent quoted in Ottawa?: In CAD/sqft/year. We also publish a USD-normalised view ($26/sqft/yr) for cross-market comparison.

Editorial provenance

Reviewed by Class A Atlas Editorial Desk — House byline · global editorial team. 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

Full sources index · Submit a correction