Commercial Lease Review — Flat Fee
Protect your business before you sign. Tenant-side lease review and negotiation from an attorney who has personally negotiated dozens of commercial leases for franchise locations.
Commercial Lease Review & Negotiation
Commercial leases are among the largest financial commitments a small business owner makes, and they're routinely signed without adequate legal review. A 5-year lease at $5,000 per month is a $300,000 obligation — often personally guaranteed. The landlord's attorney drafted the lease. You should have your own.
Matt Crumpton negotiated dozens of commercial leases during seven years as a franchise CEO, both for corporate-owned locations and on behalf of franchisees opening new units across the country. He knows what landlords will and won't move on, which clauses create the most long-term risk for tenants, and how to push back effectively without blowing up the deal.
What the Flat-Fee Review Covers
- Full lease review with written redline and commentary
- Personal guarantee analysis and negotiation strategy
- CAM charges, caps, audit rights, and exclusion review
- Tenant improvement allowance analysis and negotiation
- Rent escalation and operating expense review
- Assignment and subletting provisions
- Exclusivity and co-tenancy clauses
- Renewal options and holdover terms
- Default, cure, and termination provisions
- Follow-up call to walk through findings
Franchise Lease Compliance
Franchise tenants face lease issues that general tenants don't. Many franchisors require specific lease provisions — permitted use language, collateral assignment rights, franchisor access rights, and compliance with FDD Item 11. If the lease doesn't meet franchisor requirements, the location won't get approved. We coordinate with franchisor requirements as part of every franchise lease review.
- FDD Item 11 lease compliance review
- Franchisor lease approval coordination
- Collateral assignment and lender requirements
- Lease assignment provisions for franchise transfers
What We Negotiate
Landlords present leases as "standard" to discourage negotiation. They are contracts, and nearly everything is negotiable. The most valuable points of negotiation are typically:
- Personal guarantee scope — duration, dollar cap, or elimination
- CAM cap — limiting annual CAM increases to a fixed percentage
- Tenant improvement allowance — getting build-out dollars upfront
- Free rent periods — rent abatement during construction or soft opening
- Early termination rights — exit options if the business underperforms
- Exclusivity provisions — preventing competing businesses in the center