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Things You Need To Know About Your Commercial Lease

Lease

A commercial lease can be an intimidating document, especially for those who don't work with real estate regularly. Reading your entire lease carefully is vital to ensuring that you're getting the best deal when you're renting commercial office space; however, some terms and clauses are of particular importance and should be considered with the utmost care. These include:

 

Rent and Common Area Maintenance

The last thing you want is to end up with is a surprise when it comes time to make your first month's rent payment. So take the time to read the rent terms carefully. Are there any fees in addition to your rent? When is the rent due, and how must it be paid? What are the penalties for late payments? How much is the standard area maintenance, and what precisely does it cover? Consider all of this plus what isn't included in your lease before you sign.

 

Right of First Refusal

When you find the perfect office space, you want to make sure that you have the chance to stay there when your lease is up. The right of first refusal clause says that your landlord must allow you to say that you don't want to renew your lease before making the property available to other prospective tenants.

 

Definition of the Premises

This part of your lease tells you precisely what you're renting. Make sure that the entire office space's square footage is correctly stated in the lease. If the landlord promised you the use of shared facilities, such as restrooms in a corridor, a shared reception area or a shared break room or cafeteria, these spaces should also be mentioned here. Don't leave anything as a mere promise. Make sure it's spelled out in writing under the definition of the premises.

 

Subleasing and Assignment

If your business needs change and you no longer need all or part of your office space, this clause gives you the ability to sublease your space or assign it to another tenant to reduce your monthly costs. However, the future is unpredictable, so it's worth fighting to have liberal subleasing and assignment rights included in the language.

 

Use and Exclusives Clause

Does the lease have any stipulations on what kind of businesses can hold office space in the building? If so, is there any possibility that the defined acceptable uses may limit your future endeavors? You don't want to find yourself unable to expand into a new field, niche, or industry due to your restrictive lease. On the flip side, is there any language protecting you from having a competitor move in across the call? Depending on your line of business, and exclusives clause may be necessary to protect your interests.

 

Maintenance Clause

What happens when something goes wrong with your office space? Who is responsible for handling the maintenance cost, and who is required to make arrangements to have repairs or maintenance done? Make sure the responsibilities are clearly defined to save yourself future headaches and misunderstandings.

 

If you need to know more about the commercial lease agreement, or if need commercial space, contact us anytime, we're happy to help. Contact us at (480) 330-8897 or send us an email at request@leveragedcre.com.

Thank you.


Need help on how to get started investing in commercial real estate? We got you covered! We prepared a free e-book that will serve as your guide to achieve your long-term business goals or obtain that property you’ve always been dreaming of!

 

Phill Tomlinson is a commercial real estate broker with Commercial Properties, Inc. (CPI) in Scottsdale, Arizona, and owner of the Leveraged CRE Investment Team specializing in investment sales and tenant/landlord representation in the Phoenix and Scottsdale submarkets. Phill applies over 21 years of experience in the Real Estate industry helping investors and owners maximize their returns.

 

Bookmark www.leveragedcre.com to learn more about the Commercial Real Estate market and keep informed of relevant real estate strategies designed to maximize your income property investment results. Connect and follow Phill on Social Media at sm.leveragedcre.com/smplatform. #LeveragedCRE

 

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