Small Business Space for Rent in Broward: What Retail Leasing Really Costs (2026)

TL;DR

• As of mid-2026, asking base rents for small business space for rent in Broward commonly land in the mid-$20s to mid-$40s per square foot per year, per commercial market reports.
• Most Broward retail runs on a triple net (NNN) lease: base rent plus your share of taxes, insurance, and common area maintenance (CAM).
• A rate quoted “per square foot per year” is annual. Multiply by your square footage, divide by twelve, then add NNN to get your real monthly check.
• Build-out, deposit, and lease term matter as much as the headline rate. A bad listing hides all of it.

If you are hunting for small business space for rent in Broward, the sticker number on the listing is almost never what you actually pay. I learned that the hard way, and I want you to skip the tuition.

I’m Marlo. Before real estate, I ran a vintage shop and paid commercial rent for seven years. I have signed the lease, argued the CAM reconciliation, and stared at a 20,000 square foot listing with two blurry photos wondering what I was even looking at. So this guide is the version I wish someone had handed me. For the full picture of how I help small businesses find and price space, see my commercial leasing page.

How much does small business space for rent in Broward cost?

Let’s start with the honest range. As of mid-2026, asking base rents for retail and small commercial space across Broward County commonly run in the mid-$20s to mid-$40s per square foot per year, according to commercial market data from sources like LoopNet and CommercialEdge. Prime corners, new construction, and high-traffic plazas push toward the top. Older strip centers and side streets sit lower.

That number is base rent only. It does not include the extra costs almost every Broward retail lease adds on top. So a space advertised at $30 per square foot is not a $30 space. It is a $30-plus-NNN space, and the NNN can add several dollars per foot.

Here is why the per-square-foot habit matters. Retail is quoted annually, per square foot. A 1,500 square foot suite at $30 per foot is $45,000 a year in base rent, or about $3,750 a month. Same rate on 3,000 square feet doubles that. The rate feels small. The footprint is what bites.

What does $10/SF/yr mean for 2,500 square feet?

This is the math that trips up first-time tenants, so let’s walk it slowly.

A rate of $10 per square foot per year on 2,500 square feet is a simple multiplication: 10 times 2,500 equals $25,000 per year. Divide by twelve and your base rent is about $2,083 a month.

But $10 is a low number for Broward retail. It is closer to warehouse or flex territory than a storefront. If you run that same 2,500 square feet at a more typical mid-2026 retail ask, the picture changes fast:

Rate (base)	2,500 sq ft, per year	Per month (base only)
$10/SF	$25,000	about $2,083
$25/SF	$62,500	about $5,208
$44/SF	$110,000	about $9,167

Every one of those monthly numbers is before NNN. That is the whole point. When someone tells you a space is “only ten dollars a foot,” ask two questions: is that annual (it almost always is), and is it net or gross.

What is the most common retail lease type?

In Broward, the most common retail structure is the triple net lease, written NNN.

On an NNN lease you pay a base rent, and then you separately pay your pro-rata share of the three “nets”:

• Property taxes on the building
• Building insurance
• Common area maintenance, or CAM, which covers landscaping, parking lot upkeep, exterior lighting, and shared repairs

Your share is based on how much of the plaza you occupy. Rent a suite that is 10% of the center’s square footage, and you carry roughly 10% of those pooled costs.

The alternative is a gross lease, where the landlord folds taxes, insurance, and maintenance into one all-in number. Gross is simpler and easier to budget, but it is less common for Broward retail. There is also modified gross, a middle ground where some costs are included and some are not.

None of these is a trap on its own. The trap is comparing an NNN quote against a gross quote as if they were the same, then being shocked at reconciliation time. Always ask which type you are reading before you fall for a low base number.

How is retail rent calculated?

Here is the formula I hand every client. Two lines added together.

Line one, base rent. Per-square-foot rate times your square footage, divided by twelve.

Line two, NNN. The NNN charge is usually quoted as its own per-square-foot number, sometimes called the “load.” Same math: NNN rate times your square footage, divided by twelve.

Add line one and line two, and that is your true monthly cost. As of mid-2026, NNN loads on Broward retail commonly add a few dollars per square foot per year, though it varies widely by center, so never assume. Get the current NNN estimate in writing.

One more cost people forget: build-out. An empty white box needs floors, lighting, a counter, sometimes plumbing and a grease trap for food. Landlords sometimes offer a tenant improvement allowance to help, and sometimes they do not. That allowance, or its absence, can swing your first-year cost more than a dollar or two on the rate ever will.

What goes into the lease: LOI, build-out, and term?

Before a lease, there is usually a letter of intent, the LOI. It is a short, mostly non-binding document that lays out the deal points: rate, term, NNN, deposit, build-out, and any free-rent period. This is where you negotiate. Once terms move into the lease itself, they harden.

A few Broward norms as of mid-2026, so you know what “standard” looks like:

• Term. Retail leases commonly run three to five years, often with renewal options. Shorter terms exist but sometimes cost a higher rate.
• Deposit. Expect first month plus a security deposit, and sometimes last month, depending on your credit and the landlord.
• Escalations. Most leases build in annual rent increases, frequently around a few percent a year. Ask for the exact number and get it in the LOI.
• Free rent. For build-out-heavy spaces, landlords sometimes grant a month or two of free rent while you construct. It is negotiable, so ask.

If you are relocating a business into the area from out of state, the timing of all this stacks with everything else on your plate. My relocation guide walks through sequencing a move so your lease and your move-in do not collide.

How to read a bad retail listing

Now the fun part, from personal scar tissue. I once opened a listing for a 20,000 square foot space with exactly two photos, both blurry, no floor plan, no NNN, and no term. That is not a listing. That is a phone-number magnet.

Here is my quick filter for whether a listing is worth your time:

1. Does it state net or gross? If it does not say, the base rate is meaningless.
2. Is the NNN load listed? Missing NNN is the number one reason tenants blow their budget.
3. Are there real photos and a floor plan? Two photos of a parking lot tell you nothing about column spacing, restrooms, or usable square footage.
4. Does the square footage match reality? Some listings quote “rentable” square feet that include a share of common areas you cannot use for shelving.
5. Is the term and any escalation shown? A great rate on a one-year term with a big bump is not a great rate.

When a listing hides those five things, it is not saving you time. It is filtering for people who will call before they do the math. Do the math first.

Southwest Broward has some of the most active small-business corridors in the county, and Davie in particular keeps drawing owners who want NSU foot traffic without downtown pricing. If that is your target, the listings there move, so knowing your numbers before you tour is the whole game.

Finding small business space for rent in Broward

Here is the short version of everything above. Small business space for rent in Broward is quoted per square foot per year, usually on an NNN lease, and the honest cost is base rent plus your share of taxes, insurance, and CAM. Get the NNN in writing, price the build-out, read the term, and never compare a net quote to a gross one.

You do not have to learn this the way I did, one painful reconciliation at a time. I have sat on the tenant side of the table for seven years, and now I help small businesses find space that fits the plan and the budget. If you want a second set of eyes on a listing or a rough monthly number before you tour, I am one message away.

Common questions