What's a typical lease term in Raleigh-Durham?

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

How is rent quoted in Raleigh-Durham?

In USD/sqft/year. We also publish a USD-normalised view ($36/sqft/yr) for cross-market comparison.

Modified-gross structures.

Typical lease length: 10 years.
Typical rent-free: 12 months.
Vacancy: 16.8%; trend rising.
Modified-gross structures.

Raleigh-Durham office lease norms

Modified-gross structures.

TL;DR

Typical lease length: 10 years.
Typical rent-free: 12 months.
Vacancy: 16.8%; trend rising.
Modified-gross structures.

Structure

Modified-gross structures. 10-year terms standard. Free rent of 10-14 months and TI of $80-$120/sqft typical on a 10-year Class A 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	Raleigh-Durham
country	United States
region	Americas
classARentLocal	36 USD/sqft/yr
classARentUsd	$36/sqft/yr
vacancy	16.8%
typicalLeaseYears	10
typicalRentFreeMonths	12
submarkets	5
primeYieldPct	6.9%

Frequently asked questions

What's a typical lease term in Raleigh-Durham?: 10 years for institutional Class A. Shorter terms are achievable on smaller floor plates with stronger covenants.
How is rent quoted in Raleigh-Durham?: In USD/sqft/year. We also publish a USD-normalised view ($36/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

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