an-investors-guide-to-rent-roll

An Investor’s Guide to Rent Roll

A rent roll is one of the most important tools for analyzing a prospective investment. Here’s what you should look for.

An Investor’s Guide to Rent Roll

A rent roll is one of the most important tools for analyzing a prospective investment. Here’s what you should look for.

When you’re considering investing in a commercial property, the status of the current tenants and their leases will have a major impact on the initial value and the future net operating income of the property.

Knowing how to read a rent roll, and understanding which factors you should pay most attention to, will help you make the wisest possible investment decisions.

What Should a Rent Roll Include?

A rent roll should provide an overview of every tenant currently occupying the property and the details of their leases. In particular, rent rolls typically include the following information for each tenant:

  • Unit number
  • Lease start date
  • Lease expiration date
  • Type of Lease
  • Monthly base rent
  • Rate per square foot
  • Expenses
  • Renewal options

It should also mention any other details that might affect a tenant’s lease, such as right of first refusal or right of first offer.

Things to Look for When Reading a Rent Roll

If you know what to look for, you can learn a lot from a building’s rent roll. In particular, a rent roll can help you assess the risk associated with investing in this property and the income you can expect to generate from it.

Using a Rent Roll to Evaluate Risk

There are a number of factors you may see on a rent roll that could indicate a higher level of risk for this particular property. These include:

Expiration Concentrations: Are multiple leases set to expire around the same time? This can create risk for investors. If multiple tenants decide to not renew their leases in the same month, it may be more difficult to fill the empty units.

High Vacancy Rates: If vacancy rates are high for no apparent reason (such as renovations or a number of prospective tenants in the midst of the application process), this could suggest that there is something wrong with the property or that rent is too high. It also increases the risk for prospective investors, who will need to fill these vacancies as quickly as possible in order to increase the property’s net operating income.

Tenant Concentrations: If one tenant leases the majority of the property’s square footage — such as in a grocery-anchored retail property, for example — this can increase risk for investors. If that tenant does not renew their lease, it will have an outsized impact on the property’s net operating income, compared to a property where the rent is more evenly divided among tenants.

Using a Rent Roll to Predict Future Income

At the most basic level, one of the important things a rent roll will show you is the gross income a property is expected to generate. You can calculate this by simply adding up the annual rent of all current tenants.

Beyond this, rent rolls can also be used to identify opportunities to increase the property’s income. For example, if one property has a lower rate per square foot than a comparable property in the same neighborhood, this suggests that you might be able to raise rents and increase your profits.

Rent Roll and Weighted Average Lease Term

Another useful insight that a rent roll can help you calculate is the Weighted Average Lease Term (WALT). The WALT measures the average amount of time left on all the property’s current leases combined.

This metric is useful for underwriting, because it helps you understand how much work you’ll have to do to keep occupancy rates up. A smaller WALT indicates that you’ll need to do more work with leasing the property in the near future.

A commercial property’s WALT will vary depending on the asset. At Excelsior Capital, we look for a WALT of at least three years for flex properties, and at least five years for office buildings.

If you’re interested in learning more about the strategies we use to source premium, off-market opportunities for our investors, please fill out this form to schedule a discovery call.

Previous Articles

the-ultimate-guide-to-commercial-real-estate-investing

The Ultimate Guide to Commercial Real Estate Investing

Learn everything you need to know to assess the benefits of a commercial real estate investment and make the best decisions to get started.

Trumps Tariffs in 2025 A Game Changer for Industrial and Shallow Bay Real Estate

Trump’s Tariffs in 2025: A Game Changer for Industrial and Shallow Bay Real Estate?

As the U.S. economy adapts to a broad round of tariffs under the Trump administration in 2025, industrial (bulk and shallow bay) real estate are poised for significant changes.

Emerging Trends in Real Estate Investment for Institutional Portfolios

Emerging Trends in Real Estate Investment for Institutional Portfolios

As the first few months of 2025 have shown, the real estate investment landscape for institutional portfolios is undergoing significant transformation.

Tax Season Preparation for Real Estate Investors

Tax Season Preparation for Real Estate Investors

Whether you’re an individual filer, a business owner, or managing investments like real estate, proper preparation can help you maximize deductions and stay ahead of key deadlines.

From Challenge to Opportunity 2025 Commercial Real Estate Outlook

From Challenge to Opportunity: 2025 Commercial Real Estate Outlook

As we move into 2025, investors are entering the new year with cautious optimism. While the last two years have presented challenges, there’s a growing sense…

Why Industrial Outdoor Storage IOS Is the Next Big Trend in Commercial Real Estate

Why Industrial Outdoor Storage (IOS) Is the Next Big Trend in Commercial Real Estate

The Industrial Outdoor Storage (IOS) asset class has rapidly emerged as a key player in 2024. With a market valuation of $200 billion…

Does Real Estate Deserve a Larger Role in the Ideal Future Portfolio

Does Real Estate Deserve a Larger Role in the Ideal Future Portfolio?

Investors should be prepared for equity returns during the next decade that are towards the lower end of their typical performance distribution relative to bonds and inflation.

Understanding Common Real Estate Investment Structures

Understanding Common Real Estate Investment Structures

A Guide for Accredited Investors. Explore some of the most common real estate investment structures and how they work.

Commercial Real Estate: Key Investment Performance Metrics

Commercial Real Estate: Key Investment Performance Metrics

In this guide, we’ll break down some of the most common terms to know so you can feel confident going into your next investment.

Excelsior Capital

A real estate private equity firm that owns and operates high quality multi-tenant office assets in emerging secondary markets.

Interested in learning more about Excelsior's investment opportunities?

Excelsior Capital

104 Woodmont Blvd, Suite 120
Nashville, TN 37205

investors@excelsiorgp.com

Disclaimer: Under no circumstances should any information presented on this website be construed as an offer to sell, or solicitation of an offer to purchase any securities or other investments. This website does not contain the information that an investor should consider or evaluate to make a potential investment. Other materials related to investments in entities managed by Excelsior Capital are not available to the general public.

Share This