Commercial tenants usually face a choice between two extremes. A gross lease bundles nearly every property expense into one rent payment, while a net lease piles taxes, insurance, and maintenance on top of the base rent. Many businesses find neither option comfortable. The modified gross lease offers a middle path, splitting expenses between landlord and … Read more

If you are signing a commercial lease for office space, retail space, or an industrial unit, you will run into the phrase CAM charges early in the process. Many tenants learn what are CAM charges only after the first bill arrives, which is the wrong time to figure it out. Common Area Maintenance charges are … Read more

Your lease ended last month, but you are still living in the apartment. The landlord has not said anything yet, and your rent check cleared as usual. You might feel like nothing has changed, but legally, a lot has. When a tenant stays in a rental unit after the lease term expires without a new … Read more

Leases change over time. A tenant gets a pet, a landlord agrees to new parking rules, or both sides decide to extend the term by six months. When that happens, you need a way to document the change so everyone is protected. Two of the most common tools for this are the lease addendum and … Read more

When your lease term is coming to an end, you face a decision that will shape your living situation for the next year or more. A lease renewal is your chance to stay in a home you like while improving the terms of your agreement. Many renters simply sign whatever renewal offer arrives in the … Read more

A month to month lease agreement is a rental contract that renews automatically at the end of each rental period, usually every 30 days. It gives both landlords and tenants unusual freedom, because either party can end the arrangement with proper written notice instead of waiting for a full year to expire. For renters facing … Read more

A triple net lease, often written as NNN, is one of the most common structures in commercial real estate. It shifts most of the property operating costs from the landlord to the tenant. That simple idea has major consequences for rent, risk, and responsibility, so both sides need to understand exactly who pays what before … Read more

You formed an LLC or corporation to protect your personal assets. Then your landlord slides a commercial lease across the table, and buried in the back is a personal guarantee. One signature, and the liability shield you built for your business develops a very large hole. Personal guarantees are standard in commercial leasing. Landlords ask … Read more

When you lease commercial space, the raw square footage is only the beginning. An empty shell needs walls, flooring, lighting, and plumbing before your business can open its doors. That build-out costs real money, and who pays for it is one of the most important negotiations in any commercial lease. The answer is often the … Read more

Imagine you are buying a commercial building. The seller tells you the tenants pay a combined $25,000 a month and that all leases run for five more years. Do you take the seller’s word for it? In commercial real estate, serious buyers and lenders do not. They ask for an estoppel certificate from every tenant. … Read more