Net, Gross, Face & Effective Rent: What's The Difference?

Last updated:
Nov 21, 2022
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Commercial Real Estate

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Tenant CS
Tenant CS
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In commercial real estate, things like 'net rent', 'gross rent', 'face rent', 'effective rent' and 'gross effective rent' get thrown around a lot.

But many tenants need help understanding the difference between these terms. And it's essential because you could be paying a vastly different amount than expected, depending on which is used.

Here's a quick breakdown.

Net rent

The net rent is the base amount of rent payable. Tenants may be required to pay additional expenses called outgoings (a.k.a building costs).

Gross rent

The gross rent is a figure that includes outgoings, such as:

  • council rates
  • land tax
  • water rates
  • building insurance
  • strata levies

Please note: cleaning, electricity and water costs are usually charged in addition to the outgoings.

Face rent

Face rent is a rental figure that disregards incentives such as rent-free periods, rent reductions (a.k.a rent abatements) and fit-out contributions. The term is used interchangeably with "asking rent." Whether this figure includes building expenses depends on whether the rent is quoted as "Gross" or "Net."

Effective rent

Effective rent is a rental figure that accounts for any rent-free periods and other incentives provided to you as the tenant. It's the amount you'll pay each month or year when averaged out over your lease term. 

Effective rent is the number you want to use when comparing options. That's because it helps you make a fair comparison between properties that have varying rents, incentives and outgoings to ensure you're getting a well-structured deal at a fair market price.

Gross Effective Rent 

Gross Effective Rent is the rent payable under the lease taking all incentives into account and including all building outgoings. 

For a breakdown of more terms, check out our full glossary of terms or contact one of our team members.

About Tenant CS

Tenant CS is an entrepreneurial, independent tenant representation firm. Our mission is to help businesses save time and money and get deal terms that are advantageous for them (not the landlord) through our deep-dive market analysis and lease negotiation strategies.

We cater to companies across Australia, Singapore and the greater Asia-Pacific region and have offices at the heart of the Sydney CBD, Melbourne and Singapore. 

Book a call today to find out how we can help you with your next lease negotiation or relocation project.

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