#0055 - Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow (NOT)

Confessions of a Recovering Landlord

When you sign a lease you focus on what the condition of the space will be when you move in because you want it to reflect the image of the company and be a great place for employees and customers. But few people consider what the space will look like at the end of the lease after they move out. Failure to address that may create major headaches in the future. What do most leases say the condition of the space must be after the tenant moves out? First, it depends on the type of building as to what language is normal. Industrial and office won't be the same. You would expect offices to be more strict, but it's actually the opposite. Office leases often use the broom swept or broom clean term, but industrial leases often have a whole separate exhibit that's a full page or two of all the things the tenant must do to the space when they move out.

OK, define broom clean - broom clean just means that everything has been moved out of the space and it has been swept or vacuumed. The condition is subject to normal wear and tear, of course. But that may just be the beginning. Who defines "broom clean" and "normal wear and tear"?

Again, protect yourself by negotiating the original lease correctly. Review all clauses pertaining to move out condition carefully.