Birmingham, Alabama · Office tenant representation
Birmingham tenant rep for companies leasing office space
Sandner Hennessy, SIOR, partner, director of occupier services at Colliers | Alabama, focuses on representing tenants — the company leasing the space — to find, compare and negotiate office space across Birmingham, AL.
Call (205) 223-2233 or email Sandner.Hennessy@colliers.com
64
Class A office buildings tracked
9
Birmingham submarkets covered
10,940,327SF
Class A RBA tracked
$25.54SF/yr
Avg published asking rent
36 buildings with published rent
Why hire a Birmingham tenant rep?
Every office building in Birmingham has a listing broker whose job is to lease that building on the owner’s terms. A tenant rep is the opposite: a broker hired to represent your company, compare every realistic option in the market, and negotiate the best economics and lease terms for you.
Office leases are long, expensive and full of fine print — escalations, operating-expense pass-throughs, tenant improvement allowances, parking, renewal and termination rights. Sandner spent years as a commercial appraiser valuing Class A office buildings before moving to the tenant side, so he reads a landlord proposal the way the owner’s underwriter does.
In most Birmingham office deals the tenant rep is paid by the landlord from the leasing commission already budgeted for the transaction, so you get representation without a separate fee. See how tenant representation works in Birmingham or read the Birmingham office lease guide.
Your Birmingham tenant rep
Sandner Hennessy, SIOR
Partner, Director of Occupier Services · Colliers | Alabama
880 Montclair Road, Suite 250, Birmingham, AL 35213
Tenant representation services in Birmingham
Office requirements from a few thousand square feet to full-floor and headquarters moves.
Relocations
Market survey of every realistic Birmingham option for your headcount, budget and commute — then tours, proposals and negotiation.
Lease renewals
Benchmark your current rent and concessions against the market and create real alternatives so the landlord competes to keep you.
Expansion & rightsizing
Add space, give back space, or restructure — including expansion rights, contraction options and early-termination strategy.
Subleases
Sublease space when you need to shed excess square footage, or find discounted sublease space when timing and term fit.
Lease negotiation
Base rent, free rent, tenant improvement allowance, escalations, operating-expense caps, parking, signage, and renewal options.
Occupancy cost analysis
Apples-to-apples comparisons of full-service vs. NNN proposals and total cost of occupancy over the full term — not just year-one rent.
Who this is for
Occupiers who want Birmingham office space negotiated by someone on their side of the table.
Growing companies
Need more square footage or a better building without overpaying for empty floors or locking into the wrong term.
Relocating teams
New to Birmingham or moving between submarkets — downtown, Hwy 280, Midtown, Southside, Hoover and beyond.
Renewals & rightsizing
Lease expiring in the next 12–24 months? Build leverage before you renew in place or give back space.
How the tenant rep process works
- Step 1
Define the requirement
Headcount, growth plan, budget, timing, parking, image and must-have submarkets — set before any landlord pitch.
- Step 2
Survey the Birmingham market
A curated shortlist from the full Birmingham office inventory — direct and sublease — not just the buildings a single landlord wants to fill.
- Step 3
Tour and request proposals
Tour the shortlist, then issue a request for proposal so landlords compete on economics, concessions and flexibility.
- Step 4
Negotiate the LOI and lease
Compare proposals on total occupancy cost, negotiate the letter of intent, then protect you in the lease language through signature and move-in.
Birmingham office market snapshot
Active Class A office buildings by submarket, from the dataset maintained with Birmingham Rent Roll. Asking rents and occupancy appear only where published.
At a glance
- Buildings64
- Total RBA10,940,327 SF
- Avg % leased*73.4%
- Avg asking*$25.54 SF/yr
*Averages use only buildings with published figures (39 leased, 36 rent).
Browse all 64 Class A buildingsClass A buildings by submarket
Birmingham tenant rep FAQ
What does a Birmingham tenant rep do?
A tenant rep (tenant representative) is a commercial real estate broker who represents the company leasing space — not the building owner. In Birmingham that means defining your office requirement, surveying every realistic option across downtown, Hwy 280, Midtown, Southside and the suburbs, touring, running competing landlord proposals, and negotiating the letter of intent and lease through signature.
How much does a tenant rep cost in Birmingham?
In most Birmingham office leases the tenant rep is paid by the landlord out of the leasing commission the owner has already budgeted for the deal, so the tenant typically does not pay a separate fee. How compensation works on your specific transaction is disclosed in writing before you sign anything.
When should we start looking before our office lease expires?
As a rule of thumb, start 12–18 months before expiration for a 5,000–25,000 SF office, and 18–24+ months for larger requirements or anything involving construction. Starting early is the leverage: it gives you time to credibly consider relocating, which is what produces a better renewal offer.
Why not just call the listing broker on the sign?
The listing broker is hired by the landlord to lease that building on the owner’s terms. A tenant rep works for you, compares that building against the rest of the Birmingham market, and negotiates rent, free rent, tenant improvement allowance, escalations, operating-expense protections, parking and options on your behalf.
Which parts of Birmingham do you cover?
All of the Birmingham office market — the CBD, Southside/Five Points, Midtown (Homewood, Mountain Brook, Lakeshore and Shades Creek Parkway), the Hwy 280 corridor in Jefferson and Shelby counties, Hoover/Riverchase, Vulcan/Oxmoor and the I-65 corridor.
Is a tenant rep useful for a lease renewal?
Yes — renewals are where many tenants overpay. A tenant rep benchmarks your current deal against comparable Birmingham buildings, gathers real alternatives, and uses them to negotiate the renewal (or a relocation if the numbers are better elsewhere).
Who is behind birminghamtenantrep.com?
Sandner Hennessy, SIOR, Partner, Director of Occupier Services at Colliers | Alabama, based at 880 Montclair Road, Suite 250, Birmingham. Sandner focuses on office tenant representation and previously worked as a licensed commercial real estate appraiser specializing in Class A office.
Does Colliers also represent landlords?
Yes. Colliers represents some Birmingham building owners. If a building you’re considering is one of them, you’ll be told up front and asked for written consent before proceeding, so your representation stays transparent.
Request a free Birmingham office market briefing
Tell Sandner Hennessy what you need — size, timing and preferred submarket. You’ll get a tenant-side read on options, current asking rents and concessions, not a landlord flyer dump.
Prefer to talk? (205) 223-2233 · Sandner.Hennessy@colliers.com