Renew if the office still works and the proposed terms make sense over the period you expect to use it. Consider moving when another space solves a persistent problem at a cost you can justify. A lower monthly quote alone does not settle the decision: moving expenses, overlapping rent and lost working time can absorb the difference.
For a small Houston practice, this is a business decision before it is a property search. Start with your current agreement, a realistic account of how you use the office and comparable written proposals. Then decide whether staying is a sensible choice or simply the easiest one to postpone questioning.
Put the Notice Dates Ahead of the Expiration Date
Find the provisions covering renewal, nonrenewal, notice delivery and remaining in the space after the term ends. Record the actual dates and who must receive notice. A calendar reminder for the last month of the lease is not enough if your agreement calls for action earlier.
Have your real estate attorney resolve unclear language before you rely on it. A conversation about staying is not a substitute for whatever the agreement requires. Our commercial lease glossary explains the vocabulary, but the signed documents control your particular situation.
Work backward from the earliest decision deadline. Allow time to obtain a renewal proposal, see alternatives, compare terms and arrange any changes. A ready-to-use room and a suite needing construction have different schedules; ask each property for its actual readiness date.
Describe What Staying Would Need to Fix
Write down three things that work in your present office and three that do not. Be specific. “Too small” might mean nowhere for an assistant to take calls, or it might mean a filing cabinet is using the only suitable guest-chair position. Those are different problems with different solutions.
Separate changes management could reasonably address from conditions tied to the location or layout. A furniture rearrangement may solve a circulation problem. It will not shorten a client's drive across Houston or create another enclosed room. Ask for proposed improvements in writing, including who pays and when the work would happen.
Use the same requirements on every tour: staff present at the busiest time, visitor frequency, equipment, storage and the type of conversations you need to hold. This keeps an attractive lobby from outweighing a room that does not fit your day.
Compare the Same Time Period
For each option, total the costs across the same planning period. Include rent increases, separately charged services, parking, setup, moving and any required work at the old office when you leave. Show refundable deposits separately as cash you must have available, rather than automatically treating them as spent money.
Houston brokerage Core CRE describes renewal and relocation analysis as a comparison that includes both ongoing occupancy costs and moving disruption. For a small firm, a simple worksheet can make those tradeoffs visible without pretending to predict every expense.
Here is an illustration, not a Houston quote: if an alternative saves $300 a month but costs $7,200 in nonrefundable moving and setup expenses, the simple payback is 24 months. That ignores financing, future increases and disruption. If you expect to use the office for only a year, the headline savings do not recover the initial expense during that period.
Our office cost guide explains how to turn different rent structures into comparable figures. Use current proposals for your calculation, not an older market average or another tenant's rate.
Give Disruption Its Own Line
List appointments that would need rescheduling, staff time spent packing, technology work and the possibility of paying for two spaces during a handover. Assign responsibility and obtain estimates where possible. Avoid counting every interrupted hour as lost revenue; some work can simply move to another day.
Also consider the ongoing cost of staying. If a layout forces repeated meeting-room bookings or makes two people share a desk that both need, record that practical friction. It may justify a move even when the new rent is higher. The case should be clear enough to explain without relying on hoped-for productivity gains.
Tour With a Decision in Mind
At 2019 Washington, bring your requirements and intended timing when you arrange a viewing. Ask which office configurations are currently available and request the applicable terms. Our FAQ describes furnished and unfurnished options; confirm the details for the suite you see.
Once you choose, keep the written comparison and your decision dates. If moving wins, the small-office moving checklist turns that decision into a handover plan.