THE LEASE LEADS EVERY CONVERSATION

Your executed lease and amendments govern, subject to applicable law. These lessons do not change your agreement. Bring the relevant lease section to every discussion with AUM.

ONE LEASE. FOUR DIFFERENT EVENTS.

August 1

Lease signed

August 15

Early access

September 1

Term begins

October 1

Base rent begins

Invented example. These dates may coincide or differ in your lease. Early access and a base-rent concession do not establish that every other charge is waived.

What you will learn.

How to build a lease timeline without assuming that the signature date, possession date, business opening, and rent commencement are identical.

Identify the dates before doing the arithmetic.

Read the provisions addressing execution, delivery, commencement of the term, rent commencement, expiration, early access, construction, and concessions. Some agreements use calendar dates. Others tie a date to a described event or a calculation. Do not decide which model applies by looking only at the cover page.

A commencement confirmation may record dates under the agreement. Check who must sign it and how it relates to the underlying lease. If a date depends on an event, keep the relevant record: delivery documentation, completion notice, or other evidence identified in the agreement.

Read the concession precisely.

Ask which charges the concession addresses, the exact period, and any conditions. “Free rent” in a conversation may be an incomplete description. Do not assume a concession applies to utilities, expense estimates, insurance, or every other obligation. Also do not assume a landlord can reclaim a concession without checking the document.

Worked teaching example.

Suppose an imaginary lease is signed August 1, permits early access August 15, starts its term September 1, and starts base rent October 1. It separately requires expense estimates beginning September 1. Under those stated teaching assumptions, early access is not the term commencement, September has an expense obligation, and the base-rent start is October 1. A different lease could produce a different result. These dates do not describe an AUM tenant’s actual agreement.

Avoid date-chain mistakes.

A renewal deadline calculated from expiration can be wrong if the expiration was entered incorrectly. A rent increase tied to a lease year can be wrong if the lease year is not the calendar year. A billing system’s date should be checked against the controlling document instead of becoming its own authority.

Your timeline worksheet.

List each date or triggering event; the section defining it; who must act or confirm; the supporting record; and any open issue. Include notice deadlines and the contractual delivery method in a separate column. Mark uncertain dates for confirmation before relying on them.

Bring a focused question to AUM.

“Our lease ties rent commencement to __. The attached record shows __ occurred on __. Please confirm how the date in the statement was established.” Ask early; do not assume that asking a question pauses a payment or notice deadline.

Practice reflection.

Does opening your business later automatically postpone rent? No conclusion follows from that fact alone. Look for the actual rent trigger and any applicable condition or relief provision.

Bring the lease back to the conversation.

Before asking AUM to act, identify the relevant section, any amendment, the dates involved, and the documents supporting your question. If the issue is a legal interpretation or dispute, seek advice from your own attorney. Routine staff conversations do not change your lease; any change must meet the agreement’s requirements and applicable law.