In a market reset shaped by occupier demand, cost inflation, ESG and energy efficiency pressure, the best consultants don’t just help you chase upside, they help you make clear decisions about where to invest, where to pause and when to exit.

Commercial property discussions often lean towards optimism, but in today’s market, realism is a real advantage. As compliance requirements rise, including Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, and attention shifts towards quality and value, investors need advisers who will question assumptions, test viability and offer evidence-based advice, even when it is difficult to hear. If you are appointing or reassessing a consultant, these ten tips will help you put trust, honesty and openness first, so decisions are made earlier, more clearly and with greater confidence.

Top 10 tips

1. Choose a consultant who is comfortable saying “no”.
   In the current market, honest advice often means recommending not to deploy capital, particularly where a risk-based assessment identifies necessary additional spend to delay decline rather than create value.
2. Ask how they make “hold, invest or exit” decisions.
   Look for a clear framework: viability based on realistic leasing assumptions, sustainable achievement of hurdle rates, an underpin through assessment of alternative-use potential, compliance risk, rather than a default bias towards doing a project.
3. Insist on evidence-led recommendations, not sentiment.
   Strong consultants anchor advice in market evidence, occupier sentiment, robust cost plans and scenario testing, identifying where uncertainty sits and how it acan impact the appraisal.
4. Make transparency on fees and incentives non-negotiable.
   Trust is hard to build if commercial arrangements are unclear. Define the fee basis at an early stage to avoid difficult conversations later.
5. Test their willingness to challenge your assumptions (politely, but firmly).
   The most valuable consultants don’t just reinforce historic expectations or client’s views. They challenge them, especially where “it’ll come back” thinking may be masking risk and underpinning appraisals.
6. Look for early warnings on compliance and “future let ability”.
   Energy performance and ESG expectations increasingly affect whether space can be let and financed. A good adviser flags MEES/EPC implications early and translates them into capex, leasing and valuation consequences.
7. Prioritise clarity on strategic capital allocation and opportunity cost.
   Great advice considers the structure of the wider portfolio, the client’s risk profile and purpose for investing: It considers where capital is best deployed to achieve the risk-based returns required by the investor, and identifies where cap ex is required to stabilise and enhance the asset.
8. Expect difficult conversations to happen early – before optional capex becomes mandatory.
   If a building’s competitiveness is slipping, time without a plan compounds risk. The right consultant will tackle the hard questions before deadlines (or voids) force rushed decisions enabling considered and tested proposals.
9. Demand joined-up thinking across leasing, refurbishment, finance and reputation.
   Asset decisions must stand up commercially, operationally and reputationally. Look for advisers who connect the dots between specification, tenant demand, lender scrutiny and sustainability expectations.
10. Judge communication style as much as technical ability.
    Openness is practical: clear reporting, plain-English explanations, and a willingness to share bad news quickly. If you don’t understand the logic, you can’t back the decision.

As the market continues to reset, the consultant who adds most value won’t be the one with the most upbeat narrative, it will be the one who helps you act decisively, based on evidence, and with a clear-eyed view of what each asset can realistically become. Honest advice protects capital, supports credibility with stakeholders, and creates the conditions for long-term value.