---
title: Real Estate Data Room (2026): Document Index, How to Run a CRE Deal Room and Costs
url: https://www.helprange.com/blog/real-estate-deal-data-room
---

[Blog](https://www.helprange.com/blog)

# Real Estate Data Room (2026): Document Index, How to Run a CRE Deal Room and Costs

Updated 7 November 2026 · HelpRange

A **real estate data room** is the online room where a seller, broker or fund puts every document a buyer, lender or investor needs to underwrite a property – title, leases, rent roll, operating statements, permits, technical and environmental reports – and controls who sees what. This guide covers what goes into a CRE deal room, how to structure it so buyers find things fast, how to run access during a sale or financing, and what real estate data rooms cost in 2026.

Updated 6 November 2026. Prices from vendors' pricing pages and our [VDR roundup](https://www.helprange.com/best-virtual-data-room). Disclosure: HelpRange is our product.

## When a real estate deal needs a data room

- **Property or portfolio sale** – several bidders, each doing their own legal, technical and financial due diligence.
- **Financing and refinancing** – lenders and valuers need the same rent roll, leases and reports.
- **Fund raising and LP reporting** – investors review track record, asset business plans and quarterly reports.
- **Development and joint ventures** – partners share planning, cost plans and construction documents over months.

E-mailing folders works for one buyer you know. With several parties you need to see who has read the leases and the technical report, and to cut off a bidder who drops out.

## What goes into a real estate data room (index)

| Folder | Typical documents |
|---|---|
| 1. Property | Title deeds or land register extract, site and floor plans, measured surveys, building permits and completion certificates, photos |
| 2. Leases | Rent roll (tenant, area, rent, term, breaks, indexation), leases with side letters and amendments, service charge budgets and reconciliations, tenant arrears |
| 3. Financial | Operating statements (3 years), capex history and plan, property tax assessments, insurance policies and claims |
| 4. Legal | Easements, rights of way, encumbrances, mortgages to be released, litigation, service and management contracts |
| 5. Planning & environment | Planning permissions with evidence of compliance, nearby applications, flood risk, ground conditions, asbestos and environmental reports |
| 6. Technical | Building condition survey, M&E reports, fire safety, energy certificates, maintenance logs, warranties |
| 7. Transaction | Teaser, information memorandum, process letter, NDA, Q&A log |

Get the full numbered list with CSV download: [real estate due diligence checklist](https://www.helprange.com/due-diligence-checklist/real-estate). Number folders the same way in the room so buyers' lawyers can reference "4.2" in questions.

## Running the room during a sale

1. **Teaser and IM first, the rest after the NDA.** Put an NDA in front of everything except the teaser – the signature is recorded with the viewer's e-mail and time.
2. **One group or link per bidder.** You see each bidder's activity separately and can close access for one without touching the others.
3. **Protect the sensitive folders.** Rent roll and leases view-only, with each viewer's e-mail watermarked on every page; allow downloads only for the technical reports advisers need offline.
4. **Stage the release.** Round one: IM, rent roll summary, title. Round two (shortlist): full leases, technical and environmental reports, service contracts.
5. **Read the activity.** A bidder whose surveyor spends an hour in the technical folder is preparing an offer; one who opened only the IM is not.
6. **Answer questions once.** Keep a Q&A log and publish answers that apply to all bidders.

## Real estate data room costs (2026)

| Provider | Published starting price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Drooms | Free Starter (150 MB); Professional from €49/month (≈ $54), Business (Q&A) from €398/month (≈ $437) – [Drooms pricing](https://www.helprange.com/blog/drooms-pricing) | Strong in European real estate and asset management |
| CapLinked | Team $399/month; Enterprise from $550/month | Real estate and private equity, many guests |
| SecureDocs | $250/month (12-month plan) or $400/month (3-month plan) | Flat fee, mid-market |
| HelpRange | $199 one-time [Deal Room Pass](https://www.helprange.com/deal-room-pass) (90 days) or Max $69/month yearly | Flat per team, unlimited guests, viewer watermarks, NDA |
| Datasite, Intralinks | Quote only (reported medians ~$14,000–25,500/year) | Large portfolio sales run by banks |

Sources: Drooms, CapLinked, SecureDocs (onit.com/products/clm/securedocs), [Datasite](https://www.helprange.com/blog/datasite-pricing), [Intralinks](https://www.helprange.com/blog/intralinks-pricing). A single-asset sale usually runs 3–6 months; scanned plans and survey reports make per-GB and per-page plans expensive – check the model with the [cost calculator](https://www.helprange.com/tools/data-room-cost-calculator).

## Common mistakes

- **Uploading the rent roll as an editable spreadsheet** to everyone in round one – share a PDF summary first.
- **One shared link for all bidders** – you lose the activity per bidder and cannot revoke one party.
- **Unnamed scans** ("scan_0042.pdf") – rename files to match the index.
- **Leaving the room open after closing** – set an expiry and export the activity and Q&A log for the file.

## FAQ

### What is a real estate data room?

A secure online room where the documents of a property, portfolio or fund are shared with buyers, lenders or investors, with access per party, protection and activity tracking.

### What documents should be in a CRE data room?

Title, leases and rent roll, operating statements, capex, tax and insurance, legal encumbrances and contracts, planning and environmental reports, technical surveys and the transaction documents (IM, NDA, Q&A).

### How much does a real estate data room cost?

From free starter plans and about $250–400 a month for flat-fee providers to quoted enterprise rooms costing tens of thousands a year; HelpRange's Deal Room Pass is $199 once for 90 days.

### Can buyers download documents from the data room?

Only if you allow it. Keep leases and the rent roll view-only with a viewer watermark, and enable downloads per folder for reports advisers need offline.

See also: [HelpRange for real estate](https://www.helprange.com/real-estate-data-room) · [best virtual data room providers](https://www.helprange.com/best-virtual-data-room).

### One price per team – unlimited users and guests

Pro $39, Max $87 or Unlimited $174 a month, or a Deal Room Pass for $199 once for one deal. No per-user fees, no sales call.

 [Compare plans](https://www.helprange.com/pricing?from=insight-cta) [Start free trial](https://www.helprange.com/?from=insight-cta#signUpSection)

## More guides

- [Version Control in a Virtual Data Room (2026): Process and How 10 Providers Handle Versions](https://www.helprange.com/blog/data-room-version-control)
- [Data Room for Selling a Small Business (2026): What to Include, When to Share and Costs](https://www.helprange.com/blog/data-room-for-selling-a-small-business)
- [How to Set Up a Data Room: 10 Steps, Starter Index and Permissions (2026)](https://www.helprange.com/blog/setting-up-a-data-room)
- [Data Room Best Practices (2026): Structure, Permissions, Index, Q&A and Closing](https://www.helprange.com/blog/data-room-best-practices)
- [Dropbox and DocSend Data Rooms (2026): Dropbox VDR Setup, DocSend Features, Groups vs Links and Cost](https://www.helprange.com/blog/using-dropbox-as-a-data-room)
- [Data Room Q&A (2026): How Due Diligence Q&A Works and Which 18 VDRs Have It](https://www.helprange.com/blog/data-room-qa)


Amounts after ≈ are converted at the rates of 13 Nov 2026.