Negotiating Commercial Real Estate Leases (Paperback)

by Martin I. Zankel (Author) "This is our standard form lease; there can be no changes..." (more)
Key Phrases: reasonably useful life, common area costs, common area charges, Pisa Nut, New York, Leaning Towers (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"On a scale of 1 to 10, this excellent book rates a solid 10." -- San Francisco Chronicle, February 25, 2001

"a well crafted, superbly presented instructional guide for the business owner and a 'must read' before signing a lease" -- The Bookwatch, Midwest Book Review, February 2001

Product Description
While many books offer sample forms and advice about drafting clauses for retail, office, and industrial leases, few examine the essential business issues underlying each clause of the lease from both sides of the negotiating table — tenant and landlord alike.

Whether you are a business owner about to sign a lease, a real estate professional determined to draft the ideal transaction for your client, or a landlord looking to protect profits and property simultaneously, Negotiating Commercial Real Estate Leases can help you understand

*The obvious and not-so-obvious differences between “standard” landlord and tenant leases.
*Specific negotiating strategies for retail/shopping center, office and industrial leases.
*The critical economic and legal issues at stake in each clause of the lease.
*Which points are most easily negotiated under what situations and which points aren’t worth the time spent arguing.
*What alternative clauses and solutions can be offered to create a deal that works for both parties.

As the basics of term, rent, premises, assignment, maintenance, insurance, default, taxes, alterations, and more are covered, author Martin Zankel uses wit and wisdom to break down confusing legalisms and offer basic negotiating strategies for each situation.

The book also includes two appendixes that provide examples of a tenant-oriented lease and a landlord-oriented lease.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Mesa House Publishing; Rev Upd edition (November 8, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0940352141
• ISBN-13: 978-0940352148
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #241,486 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and nuanced discussion of leasing issues, May 11, 2005

By	Ben C. Garrett (Dallas, Texas USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Negotiating Commercial Real Estate Leases (Hardcover)

I negotiate retail and office leases as part of my law practice. This book is an excellent guide to the points that need to be considered when negotiating a lease. It will help attorneys as well as business people and brokers. The author does a good job in explaining, often in detail, the business reasons behind the different positions that the landlord and the tenant take. Understanding those reasons puts you in a much better position to create satisfactory compromises. Also, this book doesn't just address the major points - I was surprised to see how many subtle points the author addressed. Overall, an excellent book and a great value at this price.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reasonably Useful, May 2, 2005

By	I. McGrath "Dilbag" (Pondicherry) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'll agree that this book is a little random, but I've made it through the whole thing over numerous train commutes and found it useful in discussing how certain specific lease provisions can translate into a variety of outcomes in the real world of LL/tenant relations.

I actually own comm. properties and do most of the lease drafting myself. I found this book quite useful in thinking about things that I might want to include in a lease that I hadn't thought about before. It was also useful in helping decide how to craft the initial version of each lease provision. And then from there, it was helpful in informing the decision process during lease negotiations when you have to decide what's worth giving ground on and what's not.

I would say, however, that if you are not actually in a position where you think you are going to need to be negotiating the terms of a commercial lease (either as LL or tenant), then I don't know how much good this book is really going to do you.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Negotiating Commercial Real Estate Leases, November 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Negotiating Commercial Real Estate Leases (Hardcover)

Absolutely the best real estate book I have read. This is not a get rich quick scam. It disects commercial real estate transactions using a sequence similar to that of an actual sales contract. He points, step by step, to each part of the negotiation process from both the buyers and sellers point of view. Then he explores negotiating options that lead to mutually beneficial result. I have read and studied this book. It is absolutley invaluable to me, and I am not even in the commercial end of the business. I would think that any broker, realtor or principal who negotiates complex real estate transactions would benefit from this book. Why doesn't he write more? It's a shame.