Office space in São Paulo, chosen for how your company operates, not for floor area.
A corporate office floor (in Portuguese, laje corporativa) is one or more floors of an office building shared with other companies. Wharbz is a corporate real estate advisory firm: it finds, compares and negotiates office floors in São Paulo for companies that want a corporate setting without running an entire building.
When an office floor makes sense
For operations that want an established address, ready-made infrastructure and room to grow by taking other floors in the same building.
- The team has grown and needs contiguous space, on a single floor or on adjacent floors.
- The headquarters needs an address the market recognizes.
- The company wants predictability without taking on the management of a building.
- Scattered offices are coming together in one place.
When the operation needs full control over access, its own identity on the façade or the freedom to adapt the whole property, the answer is usually a single-tenant building. Our guide Corporate office floor or single-tenant building compares the two side by side.
What to assess in an office floor
Two floors of the same size can serve completely different operations.
| Point | What to check |
|---|---|
| Floor plan | Usable area relative to leasable area, columns, floor depth and daylight: they define how many people fit and how they work. |
| Delivery condition | A bare shell floor, or one already fitted with ceiling, flooring and air conditioning: it changes the size of the fit-out and the time to move in. |
| Infrastructure | Available power, air-conditioning system and operating hours, backup generator, elevators and fiber carriers in the building. |
| Expansion | Floors available in the same building and the chance to negotiate a right of first refusal on them. |
| Certifications | LEED, AQUA, WELL or WiredScore, checked against the official directories. Our certifications guide explains each one. |
| Surroundings | Metro, road access, parking and services nearby: what changes in the team's daily routine. See the districts. |
The cost of occupying an office floor
Rent is one line. The cost of occupying an office floor also includes the building service charges, the IPTU property tax when the lease passes it on to the tenant, the fit-out, the furniture, the move and the effect of the rent-free period over the whole lease.
Comparing floors by rent per square meter is misleading: the one that looks cheapest in the listing can cost more by the end of the lease. Wharbz puts the options side by side by total cost.
- Rent
- Building service charges
- IPTU property tax, when passed on
- Fit-out
- Furniture
- Move
- Negotiated rent-free period, over the lease
- Total occupancy cost
How Wharbz runs the process
-
Understand the operation
Team, growth, timing, budget and what the address needs to say about the company.
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Shortlist and compare
A few floors, with what each one solves and what it requires, and the total cost of each.
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Negotiate
Term, rent-free period, landlord contribution to the fit-out, escalation index, guarantee and first refusal on adjacent floors.
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Follow through
From signing to moving in, and beyond.
At every stage, material you can take to your board. See what you receive.
What the lease needs you to watch
Term and renewal
Brazilian law lets the tenant ask a court to renew a commercial lease that meets certain requirements, including a written term of five years (Tenancy Law 8,245, art. 51).
Sale of the property
Unless a clause keeping the lease in force is registered on the property's title, a buyer can end the lease with 90 days' notice (art. 8).
Guarantee
The law allows one guarantee per lease: a security deposit, a personal guarantee, rent guarantee insurance or an assignment of investment fund units (art. 37).
Rent adjustment
Annual, usually by the IGP-M or IPCA index; the choice of index is negotiable.
Fit-out and hand-back
What happens to the improvements at the end of the lease and in what condition the space must be returned.
Wharbz points out what to check; reviewing the lease is the job of the company's lawyer. If the company does not have one yet, we can recommend one, with no obligation.
Where in São Paulo
Each business district suits a different kind of company. Each district guide covers the area in detail.
- Faria Lima The financial market's address; tightly contested supply and few contiguous areas.
- Itaim Bibi From compact floors to full floors, with neighborhood life within walking distance.
- Vila Olímpia Efficient floors in modern buildings, with more room to choose.
- Berrini and Chucri Zaidan Large floors in recent buildings, with Line 17-Gold and direct access to Marginal Pinheiros.
- Avenida Paulista Established or renovated buildings, with four metro stations.
- Pinheiros and Butantã A new generation of office buildings, with the metro at the door.
What companies ask before leasing an office floor
Other property types
- Single-tenant buildingsFor companies that need full control: access, identity and a building adapted to the operation.
- Street retailFor brands that depend on a storefront, foot traffic and the right customers at the door.
- Setting up in São PauloFor companies coming from another state or another country that need to decide without knowing the city.
Considering an office floor in São Paulo? The conversation starts with what your operation needs.
Talk to an advisor