Commercial Lease Review & Negotiation
Commercial leases commit the parties to obligations that may continue for many years. Rent is only one part of the allocation. Buildout, use restrictions, repair and maintenance, casualty, insurance, assignment, renewal, default, guaranties, relocation, signage, and exit rights can determine whether the location remains workable for the business.
The firm drafts and negotiates leases, amendments, renewals, assignments, and subleases for landlords and tenants. It represents both single-location and multi-location operators in restaurant, hospitality, retail, recreation, franchise, office, medical, and service settings, and provides written risk reviews when a client needs a defined-scope lease assessment.
Services
- Commercial lease negotiation and drafting
- Retail, restaurant, office, industrial, and mixed-use leasing
- Lease review with a plain-language risk memo
- Amendments, renewals, extensions, assignments, and subleases
- TI allowance, rent concession, and abatement structuring
- Casualty, restoration, and repair-obligation provisions
- Guaranty negotiation and limitation
Representative Experience
Negotiated commercial leases for landlords and tenants across retail, restaurant, office, hospitality, recreation, and other commercial properties.
Drafted and negotiated commercial lease renewals, assignments, and subleases on behalf of both landlords and tenants.
Advised on tenant improvement allowances, rent concessions, casualty and restoration provisions, and landlord repair obligations.
Litigated commercial lease disputes (see Commercial Real Estate Disputes) — experience that determines what these documents must say.
Representative matters. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Process
Business terms check
What was promised in the LOI versus what the draft actually says.
Risk memo
The provisions that matter, in order, with recommended positions.
Negotiation
Redlines with explained reasoning, prioritized so goodwill is spent where it counts.
Execution
Final lease, guaranty, and a summary of obligations and dates you’ll actually use.
FAQs
The landlord says the lease is “standard.” Is it?
It may be the landlord’s standard form, but the provisions remain subject to the parties’ leverage and the economics of the transaction. The review identifies which points materially affect the client and should be prioritized.
What’s the most-missed provision?
Casualty and restoration — who rebuilds, on whose timeline, and whether rent abates meanwhile. Tenants discover it during the flood, which is late.
Do you review a lease on a flat scope?
Yes. A scoped review with a written risk memo is the firm’s most common entry engagement for tenants.
From the Resource Center
Before You Sign the Lease
The five lease provisions that decide who really pays, with a glossary and the questions to ask before you sign.
The Five Lease Provisions That Decide Who Really Pays
Commercial lease review and negotiation for Texas tenants and landlords.