Get Right to Terminate Big Box Tenant's Lease if It Proposes Use Change

Big retail tenants often demand lots of flexibility in how they can use their space. They want a lease that lets them use the space for a wide variety of uses—such as “for any lawful purpose” or “any lawful retail purpose.” However, giving in to this demand may cause you problems.

For instance, the big tenant, which doesn't currently compete with your smaller tenants, may later change or expand its use to one that does compete. Or the big tenant might sublet or assign its lease to a store that will compete with one of your smaller tenants, possibly violating the smaller tenant's exclusive. Even if the smaller tenant doesn't have an exclusive, this new competition could put it out of business. And there is another problem: The big tenant (or its assignee or subtenant) might change to a use that, although not competitive with your existing tenants, simply doesn't work for your center.

If you are faced with a big tenant that demands lots of flexibility in how it can use its space, there is a way you can placate the big tenant while avoiding these types of problems, says Denver attorney Bonnie Larson-de Paz. Give the tenant a flexible use clause, but get the right to terminate its lease and recapture its space if the proposed use is unacceptable, she says. With Larson-de Paz's help, we have created a Model Lease Clause (p. 3) that tells you how to set up this termination right in your lease.

Larson-de Paz has succeeded in getting smaller national and regional tenants to agree to this termination right. However, she admits that big box or anchor tenants may balk when she raises the issue. That is why we will also tell you how to compromise with big box or anchor tenants on your termination right.

Examples of How Use Change Could Cause Problems

Here are two examples of how giving in to the big tenant's demand for a flexible use clause could cause problems for both you and your other tenants:

Example #1: You and a large furniture store tenant sign a lease that lets the tenant use its space for any lawful retail purpose. For several years, the tenant uses the space as a furniture store. Meanwhile, you add a large electronics store tenant (without an exclusive) to your center. Then the furniture store decides to change its use to an electronics store. Even if you don't have to worry that the change violates an exclusive (because the original electronics store has none), you still have a big problem. Your center doesn't draw enough customers to support two electronics stores, so both tenants' businesses—and your percentage rent—will suffer.

Example #2: You and a big clothing store tenant sign a lease that lets the tenant use its space for any lawful retail purpose. For several years, the tenant uses the space as a high-end, upscale clothing store, in keeping with your upscale shopping center. Later, the clothing store decides to change its use to an outlet or discount store, selling cheap and secondhand clothing. This change clashes with the image of your upscale center. Also, the outlet store attracts the wrong type of customer traffic to your center.

Avoiding Use Change Problems

To prevent situations like those in our examples, Larson-de Paz suggests that you set up the big tenant's use clause so that you can pull the plug on any unacceptable use change that the tenant proposes. Here is how:

Require tenant to operate for “primary” use. Require the big tenant to operate for a specified “primary” use or purpose, says Larson-de Paz. For example, you might let the big tenant use its space to sell primarily office furnishings. Then you can add that the big tenant can also use its space for any other lawful retail use, she says [Clause, Par. a]. That makes the broader part of the clause apply to uses that are incidental to the big tenant's primary business, she explains.

Define “primary use.” Add a definition of “primary use” to the lease to avoid disputes with the tenant over its meaning, advises Larson-de Paz [Clause, Par. a]. She suggests defining it either by a percentage of a tenant's gross sales or by the number of square feet of floor area (or percentage of floor area) the big tenant must devote to the primary use [Clause, Par. a].

Bar prohibited uses. Despite getting a flexible use clause, let the big tenant know that certain uses are off-limits, says Larson-de Paz. For example, your lease should have a “prohibited use” clause that lists uses banned from your center, such as the sale of pornographic materials. Your center's governing documents very likely contain a list of prohibited uses that everyone at your center must abide by, and those restrictions should be incorporated into the lease. Also, note whether other leases have exclusive use clauses that would apply to the big tenant, says Larson-de Paz. Attach an exhibit to the lease describing the prohibited uses and exclusive uses so that the tenant knows what they say, she advises [Clause, Par. a].

Set out use change procedures. If the tenant (or its proposed assignee or subtenant) wants to change the primary use, the following steps must occur:

Step #1: Tenant sends notice of use change. The tenant must notify you, in writing, that it (or its proposed assignee or subtenant) intends to change the primary use, says Larson-de Paz. Require the tenant to give you the notice at least 30 days before the date when the change is scheduled to take effect, she advises. But say in the lease that if the tenant forgets to send you the notice, your rights under the lease will not be affected [Clause, Par. b].

Step #2: You decide whether to terminate lease. Get enough time—for example, 30 days—after you get the tenant's notice of the intended use change to decide whether you want to terminate the tenant's lease, rather than let it (or its proposed assignee or subtenant) proceed with the use change, says Larson-de Paz.

Step #3: Exercise termination right or accept use change. If you decide to terminate the lease, send the tenant notice soon—for example, within 30 days—after you get the tenant's use change notice, indicating that you intend to exercise your termination right, says Larson-de Paz. The tenant will probably want at least 60 days to pack up its things and move out of the space before the lease actually terminates, she notes [Clause, Par. b].

If you decide to accept the primary use change, you could either notify the tenant of your acceptance or do nothing. If the tenant doesn't hear from you within 30 days after you get its use change notice, it is free to proceed with the use change, notes Larson-de Paz.

Step #4: Tenant can nullify change and stop termination. The tenant will demand the right to nullify the proposed use change to avoid losing its lease, says Larson-de Paz. Therefore, give it no more than 30 days after it gets your termination notice to withdraw the intended use change [Clause, Par. c]. If it nullifies the proposed change within that time, the lease will not terminate. Otherwise, the lease will terminate.

Compromise with Big Box, Anchor Tenants

Big box or anchor tenants probably will not agree to specifying a primary use in their use clause and giving you a termination right if their use changes, Larson-de Paz notes. Those tenants will want to use their space for “any lawful retail purpose,” she says. They will argue that they need the right to change their use (without your consent) as the merchandise they are selling evolves over time, or else their business will suffer, she notes. For example, a big box video store will want the right to sell VHS tapes, DVDs, video games, and similar electronic devices as technology improves during its lease term.

When you are dealing with these powerful tenants, you will probably have to forgo demanding a primary use in the use clause, as well as the right to terminate the lease, unless the use change will violate another existing tenant's exclusive, she adds. But expect the big box or anchor tenants to require, as a condition of giving you the right to terminate their lease if their proposed use change will violate an exclusive, you to pay their unamortized portion of the tenant improvements that they installed at their cost in their space, says Larson-de Paz.

CLLI Source

Bonnie Larson-de Paz, Esq.: Shareholder, Isaacson Rosenbaum P.C., 633 17th St., Ste. 2200, Denver, CO 80202; (303) 292-5656; blarson@ir-law.com.

Sidebar

Practical Pointer: You will most likely want the big tenant to observe exclusives granted to other tenants after the date of the big tenant's lease. But don't expect the big tenant to agree to that, says Larson-de Paz. Instead, it may agree only to honor exclusives and other restrictions already in place on the date of its lease, she notes.

Practical Pointer: The termination right should also apply to a change in use by the original tenant's subtenant or assignee. This will protect you if its subtenant is using the space for the primary use now but wants to change its use in the future, says Larson-de Paz.