A tenant rep broker can reach every prospect 18 months before their lease ends by storing the lease expiration date in GoHighLevel and firing outreach at 18, 15, and 12 months before it. The bottom line: brokerages publish the same window, 12 months as a minimum and 18 to 24 months for larger tenants, so the broker who reaches the tenant first gets the timeline conversation.
What the brokerages publish
JLL advises tenants to be prepared to begin discussions 18 to 24 months in advance, and notes that a tenant must give the current landlord notice of its intentions within the timeframe in its lease. Colliers describes beginning market exploration no later than 12 months before expiration as the minimum runway, and extends the window to 18 to 30 months for significant reconfiguration, relocation, or high impact improvements. Aquila Commercial, a tenant representation firm, says tenants over 25,000 square feet normally need 18 to 24 months, while tenants between 10,000 and 25,000 square feet commonly start about 12 months out.
A lease abstraction guide says renewal options typically require written notice 6 to 12 months before expiration, with 9 months common for office leases, and warns that notice given too early can be as ineffective as notice given too late. A tenant rep firm says waiting until six months before expiration significantly reduces leverage. That is a firm's claim, but it explains why a call at 18 months matters.
The outreach timeline
| Months before expiration | Outreach | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Introduce the timeline. Ask for the lease and any amendments so the option window and notice address can be confirmed. | Broker |
| 15 | Send a decision framework: renew, relocate, or restructure, with current market data. | Broker |
| 12 | Request a meeting to open the process, or confirm you are engaged. | Broker |
| 9 | Task to confirm whether a renewal option notice window is open. | Broker |
Build it in GoHighLevel
- Create a date field called Lease expiration. Fill it from your client files or lease abstracts.
- Add tags for size, such as under 10k, 10k to 25k, and over 25k, because the sources use different windows by size.
- In Automation, create a new workflow and add the Custom Date Reminder trigger.
- Select Lease expiration and add Before Number of Days set to 545, which is about 18 months.
- Add the Has Tag filter for over 25k and build a separate workflow at 730 days for that group.
- Add Send Email with the timeline message and Add Task for a follow up call.
- Publish, then build workflows at 456 days (15 months), 365 days (12 months), and 270 days (9 months).
- If several people at one tenant should share a date, GoHighLevel supports company based workflows that use date fields on the Company record.
Email to send at 18 months
Subject: Your lease at [address] expires on [lease expiration]. Hi [first name], your lease expires on [lease expiration]. Firms like ours start planning about 18 months out, because the renewal option notice and the search both take time. If you send me the lease and any amendments, I will confirm your dates and send a one page timeline.
What the workload looks like
If you track 400 tenants whose expirations are spread evenly over five years, about 80 leases a year reach the 18 month mark, or about 1.5 a week (80 divided by 52). That is a pace one broker can sustain when the first message and the task are automatic. Without a trigger, those 80 outreach moments depend on someone opening a spreadsheet at the right time, and the brokerages quoted above say the early start is the source of leverage.
Mistakes to avoid
- Trusting an unconfirmed date. Confirm the expiration in the first call and update the field.
- Ignoring the option window. A lease abstraction guide says notice too early can be as ineffective as notice too late. Add a task at nine months to verify the window.
- Using one timeline for all sizes. Sources give different windows by size. Tag tenants and build a separate workflow for larger ones.
- Texting prospects cold. Use email and call tasks until a prospect agrees to texts.
Check before you switch it on
US text messages sent from a standard 10 digit number need A2P 10DLC registration. The HighLevel support portal says registration is required for texts to US recipients from 10 digit long code numbers and that toll free numbers do not require it. HighLevel's opt in guidelines also say a person cannot be forced to agree to text messages in order to submit a form, so keep the consent box optional. One compliance guide separates informational texts, which need documented consent, from marketing texts, which need prior express written consent. Ask your attorney which category your reminders fall into. For prospects who have not agreed to text messages, use email and call tasks, and send a text only after they opt in. This is general information, not legal advice.
Questions people ask
Is 18 months too early for a small tenant?
Aquila Commercial says tenants between 10,000 and 25,000 square feet commonly start about 12 months out. Use size tags to change the timing.
Where do I find lease expiration dates?
From your client files, lease abstracts, or the tenant. The date is only as good as its source, so confirm it in the first conversation.
What is the risk of contacting too late?
A lease abstraction guide says renewal notice windows are often 6 to 12 months, and a tenant rep firm says waiting until six months out reduces leverage.
Ready to try it yourself? Start a GoHighLevel account here.
You can also see this in action in our GoHighLevel capabilities demo.