Retail is the one commercial class where location detail does most of the selling. A shop with the right frontage in the right strip will attract enquiry quickly; the job of the listing is to make the trading position obvious and to answer the fit-out and permitted-use questions before a prospective tenant or buyer has to ask.

How a private lease listing works

realcommercial.com.au and commercialrealestate.com.au only accept listings lodged by a licensed real estate agency. For Sale For Lease is a licensed agency, so we lodge the listing for you for a once-off $795 and it stays live until leased. Tenant enquiries come directly to you, and there is no commission when the lease is signed.

What tenants of retail or shop premises actually check

  • Floor area and frontage width.
  • Foot traffic and the neighbouring tenancy mix — say who is next door, it matters.
  • Permitted use and whether a planning permit is in place for the tenant’s intended use.
  • Existing fit-out and services: three-phase power, grease trap, exhaust, plumbing, cool room.
  • Rear access, loading and waste arrangements.
  • Net or gross rent, outgoings, and any promotion levy.
  • Term, options and review mechanism, including whether turnover rent applies.
  • Fit-out contribution or rent-free period, if offered.

Setting the rent

Rent is set per square metre but the position drives the figure, so compare within the same strip rather than the same suburb. Be realistic about how long a vacant shop can sit: a shorter rent-free period on a fair rent almost always beats holding out at an ambitious number.

Before you advertise

Retail leases are separately regulated in most Australian states and territories, and landlords typically must give a prospective tenant a disclosure statement and a copy of the proposed lease a set number of days before the lease is entered into. In Victoria this sits under the Retail Leases Act 2003 (Vic). Have a solicitor confirm what applies to your premises before you advertise. This is general information, not legal advice – requirements differ between states and change over time, so confirm the current position with your solicitor or conveyancer.

Photograph it like an asset, not a home

Photograph the shopfront straight on and from each direction along the strip so the trading position is obvious. Then the interior with the lights on, the rear or storage area, the services, and the parking or laneway access. A daytime shot showing pedestrian activity does real work here.

Get started

See what is included on the commercial lease page, or read the step-by-step guide to how to lease commercial property privately. There is more detail on listing on realcommercial.com.au without an agent.

Selling instead? See sell retail or shop premises privately. State-by-state detail is available for VIC, NSW and QLD among others.

Call 1300 622 300 to talk it through.