Commercial Lease Review for Your Attorney Handoff

For first-time restaurant, retail, medical, and office tenants, and for searchers reviewing target-company leases during diligence. Review the lease before committing to the space: what you will pay, what you can do there, and what happens if you need to leave or sell the business. Inkvex organizes a first pass for your attorney, with quoted findings where available and questions about unresolved terms.

Not ready for the paid review? Try the free lease analyzer first.

• Backed by a commercial-lease clause library
• Executive Deal Verdict, Cross-Reference Map, and Negotiation Points
• Market comparisons only when a verified applicable lease corpus is available
• Attorney-ready Diligence Memorandum (PDF) with negotiation counters

What to gather for a commercial lease review

Start with the lease, all amendments, the guarantee and any work letter. Ask for the current rent schedule and the records behind estimated operating expenses. Note which documents are missing rather than treating an estimate as a confirmed cost.

• Cost: base rent, increases, taxes, insurance, maintenance, reconciliation rights and any cap or exclusion.
• Opening: permitted use, delivery condition, landlord work, tenant improvements and the event that starts rent.
• Exit or sale: renewal notice, assignment consent, continuing guarantee obligations and restoration of the premises.

Example: the quoted rent is only part of the cost

For a hypothetical 2,000-square-foot space, annual base rent of $30 per square foot is $60,000. Estimated additional charges of $8 per square foot add $16,000. Together that is $76,000 a year, before any other charges. These are teaching figures, not market rates or a lease quote.

The next question is what the $8 estimate includes, how it is reconciled and whether the lease limits increases. Ask counsel to review those provisions alongside the landlord's supporting records.

Use the commercial lease reading guide for the full checklist, or inspect the sample memorandum before choosing a review. This page addresses business premises; residential tenancy questions require a separate review of the applicable rules.

Who it is for

Lease provisions to check