Every time you lease space to a tenant, you incur opportunity costs to the extent a more desirable tenant in need of that same space turns up later. That’s why clauses allowing you to relocate tenants to comparable space within the shopping center or building can be extremely valuable....
Security deposits remain a bone of contention in commercial leasing litigation, particularly now that COVID-19 eviction restrictions have been lifted. Typically, the obligation to return the security deposit begins when the tenant surrenders the premises. The following scenario, which is based...
A restaurant tenant isn’t happy about what it deems to be the landlord’s inadequate efforts to market the mall and abandons the property. Instead of immediately seeking a replacement, the landlord lets the space remain vacant and sues the tenant for rent.
A restaurant tenant isn’t happy about what it deems to be the landlord’s inadequate efforts to market the mall and abandons the property. Instead of immediately seeking a replacement, the landlord lets the space remain vacant and sues the tenant for rent.
Workers hired by the landlord of a medical office building place a 55-gallon barrel that’s been cut in half to serve as a planter on the access ramp leading to the only public entrance of the building, leaving just 30 inches on either side for entrants to squeeze...
Liquidated damages clauses can be a convenient way to incentivize performance and avoid disputes over the price tag of breaches. One common use of such clauses is to require the tenant to pay predetermined rent increases in the event it violates a covenant not to open a competing business within...
Commercial property is condemned. The tenant, a petroleum company, seeks a portion of the condemnation award compensating it for its remaining leasehold interest. The lease includes the following two provisions dealing with the tenant’s rights in the event the property...
An electronics store leases 3,000 square feet of shopping center space. But the city won’t let the store operate until wheelchair ramps are installed and the parking lot is re-striped to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The owner...
SITUATION: Just before the pandemic hit, a landlord agreed to lease one floor and the basement of a three-story building previously used for warehousing to a lumber and leather goods store. Although the landlord had to shutter the property temporarily, the deal remained on track...
SITUATION: With 24 months remaining on its lease, a tenant vacates the premises and stops paying its $10,000 per month rent. After six months of marketing and sales efforts, the landlord finds a replacement tenant willing to pay $15,000 per month. The replacement tenant also...
