The COVID-19 crisis has forced landlords and tenants around the country to rework their leases. And while the process will continue for months and even years, we’ve reached the point where we can step back and consider the big-picture leasing lessons from the tumultuous months of March,...
As businesses begin to reopen, governors and public health authorities in many states have issued orders requiring employers to perform body temperature screening of employees before the start of work shifts to prevent workplace COVID-19 infection. To determine whether you’re covered by...
What are a landlord’s liability to tenants when it reopens part of the property after a disaster but still has to keep parts of the common areas closed for a while to fix the damage? That timely question is at the center of a recent case.
The months of April and May were a nightmare for rent collections. Things may not improve dramatically in June, July, or August. And with evictions temporarily barred in so many jurisdictions, landlords may feel they have no choice but to put up with tenant defaults and negotiate the best...
While each lease is different, COVID-19 generally doesn’t excuse tenants’ duty to pay rent. But, in times of pandemic, having the lease on your side may not count for much. The simple fact is that for many landlords, strict enforcement of lease rent obligations is not a realistic...
One of the great unknowns of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic for landlords is the potential liability for infection, including class actions by clusters of...
Q: If a major disaster that’s totally unforeseen and beyond anybody’s control, like a hurricane or perhaps the worldwide outbreak of a virulent virus, interferes with a tenant’s ability to use leased property for its...
We’ll look at three coronavirus scenarios and the lease clauses you can use to address them.
The coronavirus has taken the world by surprise. And that includes commercial landlords and tenants. But there’s a big difference between lack of warning and lack of...
The nice thing about lease assignments is that you can always go after the original tenant if the assignee violates its lease obligations. At least that’s the common assumption. But if you modify the lease after the assignment, you could end up inadvertently losing your right to hold the...
