(pronounced werk LET-ter)

As you might imagine, this term describes a letter that defines some sort of work agreement. It’s just a little more involved than that, however. Also known as a “Tenant Improvement Allowance,” a work letter (sometimes also written as one word: workletter) is a list of the building standard items that the landlord agrees to contribute as part of the improvements when a tenant leases a space in a building. Examples of typical building standard items identified include: the amount of partitions (i.e. walls; usually measured in lineal feet), quality of floor coverings, style and type of doors, type and quantity of lights, number of telephone and electrical outlets, etc. Often a work letter carries a specific dollar value, but this figure will be contrasted with a fixed dollar allowance that can be used at the tenant’s discretion in case they aren’t happy with the building standard goodies.