Commercial Lease checklist will point out provisions to which a prospective small business tenant should pay particular attention. The terms lessor and landlord will be used interchangeably.

Commercial leases come in many sizes and shapes, from the three- or four-page mom and pop simple lease to the 40 to 50-page complicated lease with multiple addendum and attachments that are usually attendant to high rises, malls, or popular upscale areas. The small business owner will frequently be presented with a form lease developed by a landlords’ association with blanks for rent and the term on the first page and many pages of difficult to read provisions thereafter. You are likely to be told that it is standard and the provisions are non-negotiable. Have a lawyer or a broker that only represents you review it first.