Landlords will be flexible with overall lease terms includingrental rates in a challenging market; however, there are certainrental rate parameters that landlords must strive to maintain, asit relates to the overall value of the asset as well as landlord'sability to sustain building services for both existing and newtenants, says locally based Greg Barkan, first vice president of CBRichard Ellis. "Aggregate rental rates could be discounted andpositioned in a way to afford tenants the benefit of reduced ratesin the beginning of the term, while providing the landlord with anaverage rate and growth over the term that is conducive for theasset," he tells GlobeSt.com.

Barkan adds that he is not aware of landlords cutting outamenities or building services in order to come down on price. "Thelandlords that we represent have not taken that approach, in fact,they have been constantly revisiting potential ways to addamenities to enhance leasing efforts and attract new tenants," hesays.

But what a select group of landlords are willing to do--forcreditworthy tenants only--is to structure transactions thatinclude moving and tenant improvement allowances. "Some componentsof the moving allowance consist of cabling and furniture systemsinstallation in addition to the costs associated with the physicalmove of the tenant," Barkan says. "Rent abatement packages couldalso be structured in a way that would either offset or partiallymitigate existing lease obligations.