Is there any legal basis for the broker to collect $300 every time a tenant renews her lease?

If a tenant is renewing, the landlord must invest at least $10 a square foot in improving tenant space or common areas.

An existing tenant, CVS, recently renewed its lease for 11,000 square feet.

What's important is that the compensation reflect the amount of work, not whether a tenant moves or renews a lease.

Even tenants that are not growing are renewing early to lock in reasonable rents.

"You make an educated guess on whether the tenant will renew," said one leasing agent who insisted on anonymity.

It is presumed these tenants did not renew their leases or did not find a viable location within the new area.

A renewal fee will normally be charged if the tenant extends or renews their tenancy.

"Before, the building wasn't leasable to anybody," he said, adding that it was doubtful that tenants would have renewed their leases.

The New Jersey office market has been so lethargic that most tenants are renewing leases to keep costs down.