The party that leases commercial space from a landlord, paying rent in exchange for the right to occupy and use the premises in accordance with the lease terms.
In commercial leasing, the tenant is the legal entity named in the lease — not necessarily the operating entity conducting business in the space. Mismatches between the signing entity and the operating entity can affect the landlord's ability to enforce the lease or collect on a guaranty. Tenants must operate within the permitted use, maintain the premises, pay rent and pass-throughs, carry required insurance, comply with laws, and restore the space upon expiration. The tenant's creditworthiness, business stability, and operational reputation are central to the landlord's leasing decision. Lease abstracts must capture the tenant's exact legal name, state of formation, and any assumed trade names used at the premises.
The 8 key leverage points tenants have in commercial lease negotiations, and how to use each one to secure better rent, TI, CAM caps, and flexibility provisions.
What CAM caps and exclusions mean for commercial tenants, how to negotiate them, and how to verify they are reflected correctly in the executed lease.
How tenant improvement allowances work, typical ranges by market and property type, negotiating tactics, deadlines to protect, and how TI affects lease accounting.
Upload a commercial lease PDF and get 125+ structured fields — including all the terms defined in this glossary — extracted in under 3 minutes. $20 per lease.
Upload Your Lease