Feature, Drafting Tips, In the News, Plugging Loopholes, Resolving Disputes, Negotiating Tips, Q & A, Dos & Don'ts

Draft Airtight Indemnification Clause

October 26, 2015    

When you lease space to a tenant, it’s impossible to predict whether you’ll experience the unpleasant repercussions of accidents, injuries, or criminal acts that can be attributed to the tenant. These events can be costly, but as with most other risks involved in leasing space, you...

Use Letter of Credit as Security for Tenant's Construction

October 26, 2015    

When a tenant performs alterations in its space, there’s always the risk that they won’t be performed properly or that one or more mechanic’s liens will be filed against your property. Both of these issues can be costly and have long-lasting ramifications. Traditionally, many...

Clearly Defining Replacement Tenant in Cotenancy Clause

October 26, 2015    

Q: A prospective tenant for my shopping center wants its cotenancy clause to provide that a specific well-known retailer that takes up a large space in the center must be replaced with a “major tenant” if the retailer goes out of...

Negotiate New and Standard Terms in Estoppel Certificate Clause

September 17, 2015    

If you’re working with a prospective lender, buyer, or investor for your office building or shopping center, the last thing you want is a surprise tenant issue that can hold up or even kill the deal. Any party preparing to spend money will want to know that it won’t be blindsided...

Spell Out When and How You'll Refurbish Tenant's Office Space

September 17, 2015    

Office building tenants with long lease terms may be concerned that their office space will begin to look shabby in the future. These tenants argue that the rent they’ll be paying in the last few years of the lease won’t reflect the reality of wear and tear like peeling paint and...

How to Avoid Liability for a Tenant's Illegal Activities

August 28, 2015    

by Lisa E. Spiwak, Esq.

A new trend is occurring whereby landlords are being held liable for the illegal activities of their tenants—regardless of the landlord’s involvement in those illicit activities. This trend is extremely disconcerting and requires landlords to...

Make Tenant Adapt Insurance Coverage to Changing Circumstances

August 28, 2015    

Sadly, public violence has escalated in the past few years, with attacks in workplaces, entertainment venues, and malls. Regardless of the security measures you take to prevent or deal with violent attacks occurring on your property, some things will always be out of your control. From time to...

Ensuring Right to Enforce Lease with Corporate Tenant

August 28, 2015    

Q: I tend to lease space to a lot of partnership and corporate tenants. I recently learned that if a business hasn’t taken the necessary partnership or corporate actions to allow it to enter into a lease, I could end up having trouble...

Shift Responsibility for Attorney's Fees to Tenant

August 11, 2015    

Attorney’s fees are a point of contention in many owner-tenant disputes. Typically, one party argues that the other party should pay for its own legal fees and ...

Termination Being Affected by Yellowstone Injunction

August 11, 2015    

Q: After my tenant defaulted by failing to take care of several maintenance issues it was responsible for under the lease, I sent it a 30-day notice to...

Don't Make Handwritten Corrections to Lease Documents

August 11, 2015    

Sometimes a clerical mistake, such as an incorrect date or a misspelled name, is made on a lease document. But if the mistake isn’t caught and corrected, it can lead to a dispute later between you and your tenant—especially if the...

Don't Make Blatantly Unfair Requests During Negotiations

August 11, 2015    

You may have a “wish list” for items you would like to include in your lease with a prospective tenant, but be careful not to overdo it. Big box tenants or those with a lot of bargaining power are more likely to balk at requests for...