All Commercial property leases should have a “Maintenance and Repair Clause” within the lease. The clause usually states which party is responsible for maintaining and repairing certain aspects of the rental property. As a landlord you want to ensure that this clause in your commercial lease is as specific as possible so that if a tenant refuses to address any repair or maintenance issues, the lease will show that they are clearly responsible and must address it.
Most commercial leases will stipulate that landlords are responsible for maintenance and repair of the exterior of the commercial rental property as well as common spaces. In addition, landlords are also usually responsible for any major structural parts of the building such as load bearing walls and the foundation. In contrast, commercial property leases will name tenants responsible for completing all routine maintenance to interior and nonstructural aspects of the building, to repair or pay for any damage they cause to the commercial rental property and notify landlords in writing of any issue a landlord is required to fix.
When managing a commercial rental property, it is even more critical to be on top of your obligated maintenance and repairs and your tenant's maintenance and repairs than with residential rental properties. Maintaining and repairing commercial properties can be very costly and unlike with residential properties where cost can be spread out among several tenants, with commercial properties costs may be only spread among a few or even one tenant. Therefore, keeping well organized and detailed records in your commercial property management system will help you stay ahead of any issues related to repair and maintenance. Furthermore, tracking the repair and maintenance work you complete in your Commercial Property Management Software as well as your tenant’s repairs and maintenance can save you further time and money if any problems with your tenants following the maintenance and repair clause in your lease.
This post is provided by RISSOFT Residential and Commercial Property Management Software, specializing in innovative and cutting-edge management software for all 50 states. Request a demo or contact us today to receive more information.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this post in not intended to be construed as legal advice, nor should it be considered a substitute for obtaining individual legal counsel or consulting your local, state, federal or provincial tenancy laws.