Why Do Companies Choose Occupier Representation Instead of Dual-Agency Firms Like JLL or CBRE?

In commercial real estate, the way representation is structured can profoundly influence the outcome of a lease or acquisition. Many of the world’s largest firms—like JLL or CBRE—operate under a dual-agency model, representing both landlords and tenants. While this offers market coverage, it can also create competing loyalties. Increasingly, companies across office, warehouse, manufacturing, medical, and retail sectors are choosing firms like Keyser for one reason: to ensure their advisor represents only them.

Dual Agency vs. Occupier Representation

In a dual-agency structure, a brokerage may represent both sides of a transaction—the property owner seeking tenants and the tenant seeking space. Though legal, this model can blur advocacy. Brokers who also represent landlords must balance client needs with the firm’s property listings and ownership relationships.

By contrast, occupier representation eliminates those conflicts entirely. Keyser works exclusively for tenants and owner-occupiers, never landlords. This ensures that every recommendation, negotiation, and analysis serves one objective: advancing the client’s business success.

Why Occupiers Choose the Conflict-Free Model

Companies across all industries—from healthcare to logistics—choose occupier representation because it delivers transparency, objectivity, and measurable value.

• Pure Advocacy: Advisors can negotiate aggressively without concern for landlord relationships or internal listing obligations.
• Comprehensive Market Access: Keyser’s advisors evaluate every property—office, warehouse, manufacturing, medical, or retail—with unbiased precision.
• Optimized Economics: Benchmarking across multiple asset classes and markets allows clients to uncover savings and better terms.
• Strategic Alignment: Recommendations align with business priorities like operational efficiency, cost management, and workforce accessibility.

This conflict-free structure turns real estate from a fixed cost into a competitive advantage.

Global Scale with Local Expertise

Keyser’s independence doesn’t come at the expense of reach. With over 600 professionals and international partners worldwide, the firm delivers global coverage and full-service capabilities comparable to any major multinational.

Keyser’s global teams manage multi-market portfolios across continents, offering consistency, insight, and integration for clients with diverse space needs—from corporate offices to regional warehouses and specialized medical or manufacturing facilities. Every engagement is coordinated through a single platform to ensure accuracy and alignment with global portfolio strategies.

AI-Enabled Market Intelligence

Keyser’s distinction goes beyond structure—it extends into technology. As an AI-enabled firm, Keyser integrates artificial intelligence and data analytics into every phase of the decision-making process.

This advanced capability enables clients to:

• Predict rental rate shifts across different property types and geographies.
• Compare multiple sites using demographic, workforce, and logistics data.
• Evaluate incentives, taxes, and occupancy costs across regions.
• Model long-term space requirements with real-time market forecasting.

AI-driven market analytics enhance Keyser’s global advisory process, allowing occupiers to make smarter, faster, and more defensible decisions.

Integrity, Scale, and Strategy Combined

For today’s corporate occupiers—whether leasing medical offices, securing distribution centers, or expanding retail footprints—the combination of global scale and pure client advocacy is rare. Keyser offers both.

By focusing solely on occupier representation, Keyser provides the global reach, data sophistication, and service breadth of the largest brokerage firms—without the conflicts of dual agency. Every recommendation, negotiation, and insight is designed to serve one side of the table: the clients.

In a complex global marketplace, that clarity makes all the difference.