Introduction to Tenant Defender University
"Subtle changes in the way you approach commercial leasing, and even small differences in the way you structure your Lease, can literally cost or save you tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.” - Anthony Dyson
Leasing commercial space is much more difficult and takes longer than most Tenants think. In my experience, often the person given the job is a novice never having been involved in the process before. A methodical organized approach using all the tools available often results in getting the right location, the best rental rates and terms and conditions that are balanced rather than favoring your Landlord. Depending upon market conditions and the negotiating leverage of the Tenant, it is possible to get a Lease that favors the Tenant over the Landlord in many very substantial respects.
█ What This Guide Can Do For You. If you are a bit overwhelmed by the thought of negotiating your first commercial Lease or you are an old pro but the last Lease did not work out as you expected, this guide was written for you. It’ll take the secrets out of the process that most real estate brokers keep to themselves about commercial property leasing. It’s a step-by-step guide that’ll lead you through:
•Negotiate a Lease that meets your financial goals; and
•Offers protection for your business from unfair Lease terms and hidden costs of leasing.
This guide will help you understand the many terms used in commercial real estate leasing. It’ll show you how to work with real estate brokers, lawyers and other professionals necessary to lease commercial space. And it’ll explain and illustrate the process involved in completing the transaction.
█ What This Guide Cannot Do For You. This guide is not intended to replace the professionals who will help you Lease your commercial space. These experts are part of your team and will provide you with the information necessary to make informed decisions.
It will not cover every single aspect of commercial real estate leasing as that is not possible to cover in a guide of any size. Many decisions are made in commercial real estate based on a professional’s experience and “gut feeling” of the best way to handle a situation or draft a Lease clause based on the many factors that differ in every deal. When someone asks me if something is “normal” in a commercial Lease, I always say that there are no norms. Every deal is different, every Landlord is different and every market is different.
My goal is to help you generally understand how to go about finding a property, negotiating a Lease and what you can expect along the way. Once you’ve finished the guide, you’ll have a good understanding of your role in the process and will know what questions to ask of and what to expect from theg professionals you’ll hire to help you. If you read no more of this guide than the next chapter which is a synopsis of the principles of the guide you’ll learn a lot that most brokers won’t even tell you