If you're like many owners of shopping centers or office building complexes, you're eager to find new ways to generate income. One solution may be to add a food court—that is, a special area dedicated to small restaurant tenants selling a diverse selection of carry-out or ready-to-...
Problems can arise when a restaurant tenant draws so many customers that long lines—often referred to as “queues”—form, or crowds gather in the common areas near the restaurant. Someone could get hurt if a queue or crowd becomes disorderly or unruly, and, as the owner,...
An attorneys' fees clause in a commercial real estate lease defines who will pay the legal fees for a dispute between the tenant and owner. It is critical to draft an attorneys' fees clause in your retail or office building lease that makes the tenant responsible for any legal fees...
Although an owner should rightfully consider its building to be its own, once it signs a lease with a tenant, that tenant has a right to exclusive possession of its space. To ensure that an owner has access to the space after it has given up these...
Most commercial property leases don't contain a provision specifying whether a copy or an electronic signature on the document is as valid as an original signature. In the absence of such a clause, the presumption is that only the original signature of the owner or tenant is binding. But...
When looking to cut costs, one of the first things that tenants try to trim are their operating costs. If a tenant believes that it has overpaid for its share of the building's operating expenses, a lease audit is inevitable for you. Your first step in preparing for audits should be at the...
The sluggish commercial real estate industry is affecting both owners trying to keep up with mortgage payments and tenants who are in serious financial trouble—or even in risk of default. In this recession, it is more important than ever to spot struggling tenants in your shopping center...
Over the course of the past 15 years, wireless communication has changed from a novelty to a necessity for everyday life. The rapid growth has given rise to the need for wireless carriers to install and operate a greater number of cell tower sites in greater concentrations and over larger...
There are unique considerations in leasing space to a physician or medical group that don't come into play with standard office leasing. You should address those issues specifically in your lease to avoid unnecessary ambiguities.
When negotiating a lease with a prospective tenant that plans to operate a restaurant it considers to be a “grill shop,” the tenant may demand that you agree not to rent space in your center to another grill shop. But if you agree to such a restriction, you may be unable to rent...
If you're like most owners, you're searching for new leasing strategies to increase your rent revenues. Here's one to consider if you're negotiating a percentage rent lease with a retail tenant that doesn't have a lot of negotiating power, suggests Florida attorney Oscar R....
On Oct. 3, 2008, President Bush signed the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 into law. This so-called bailout package is considered a necessary evil to move our economy in the right direction, but experts warn that it's far from a quick fix and expect the turnaround to be a slow...
