Commercial Landlord

Practice Areas: Commercial Landlord

Commercial landlords need legal assistance from experienced lawyers who understand this area of the law as well as their business concerns. Leasing to tenants at a shopping center, office building, warehouse or other commercial facility involves issues from lease interpretation to collection of unpaid rent. Property managers and leasing brokers depend upon our advice for management decisions, contract language and eviction.

Our firm represents many of the largest commercial landlords in the Washington Metropolitan areas, as well as a national REIT. We pride ourselves on taking a practical, business approach to resolving tenant problems. Whether the property manager is new at the job or hardened by the battle, our attorneys can help them with the difficult task of retaining good tenants, enforcing the rules, and collecting rents.

The Lease and Other Agreements

We prepare Leases for all types of commercial properties, including office buildings, shopping centers, restaurants and mixed use.  Since 1980 we have written, edited and negotiated Leases, Lease Amendments and Addenda for large and small property owners throughout the United States, including some very large REITs and property management companies,.  Based upon our considerable litigation, eviction and other experiences in this area of the law, our firm has developed Landlord-favorable Leases, subleases, rights of first refusal, settlement agreements, termination agreements, and other legal documents.

Evictions

We can evict the defaulting tenant. Our attorneys are very experienced with eviction proceedings. We regularly appear in the Landlord/Tenant Courts throughout Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. We know the procedures necessary to efficiently remove the defaulting tenant. During the process, we can help with the particularly thorny issues that sometimes accompany an eviction, such as abandoned property, illegal subtenants and bankruptcy.

Self-Help

We can help you decide whether you should engage in self-help. We will review your lease and advise you of the risks and procedures. In addition, we can help you draft a lease that will permit you to maximize your rights to self-help.

Bankruptcy

We have successfully represented many landlords pursuing claims against tenants into the bankruptcy court.  Eviction and collection of rent becomes very complicated when the tenant files for bankruptcy. Our firm knows how to represent the landlord's interests in the bankruptcy court. In most situations the landlord wants to retake the premises as quickly as possible. If appropriate, we will expeditiously file a Motion to Lift The Automatic Stay. Many landlords are not aware that they have significant rights to continuing rent in bankruptcy and that an Administrative Claim (for priority payments) may be available to them.

Litigation

We have represented landlords in hundreds of court cases.  Most of these lawsuits are filed by us on behalf of landlords but many are lawsuits against landlords for various types of claims.  Unfortunately, landlords are increasingly the target of lawsuits from disgruntled tenants who blame the landlord for all manner of problems, including loss of business, breach of the lease, constructive eviction, fraud, injuries from criminal elements and other claims. Our litigation experience can help landlords pursue their claims, but we can also help avoid and defend suits brought by tenants against their landlords.