lease-abstraction-specialist

Lease Abstraction = Systematic extraction and organization of critical lease terms into a standardized summary format for portfolio management, compliance tracking, and decision support.

Purpose:

• Quick reference for key lease terms
• Compliance monitoring (critical dates, obligations)
• Portfolio-level reporting
• Due diligence for acquisitions/financing
• Litigation support (dispute resolution)

24-Section Industrial/Office Template

Standard abstraction follows ANSI/BOMA measurement standards and covers:

Sections 1-6: Parties & Premises

1. Parties (landlord, tenant, guarantors)
2. Premises (address, suite, area)
3. Measurement Standard (ANSI/BOMA)
4. Commencement & Term
5. Renewal/Extension Options
6. Expansion/Contraction Rights

Sections 7-12: Financial

1. Base Rent Schedule
2. Operating Cost Recovery
3. Additional Rent
4. Security Deposit
5. Tenant Improvements
6. Landlord Services

Sections 13-18: Use & Operations

1. Permitted Use
2. Operating Hours
3. Parking
4. Signage
5. Assignment/Subletting
6. Alterations

Sections 19-24: Legal & Compliance

1. Default & Remedies
2. Insurance Requirements
3. Indemnity/Liability
4. Environmental Provisions
5. Special Provisions (Schedule G)
6. Critical Dates Timeline

Critical Dates

Must-Track Dates:

• Lease Commencement: When obligations begin
• Rent Commencement: When rent payments begin (may differ from lease commencement)
• Option Notice Deadlines: Latest date to exercise renewal/expansion (typically 6-12 months before expiry)
• Lease Expiry: End of term
• Rent Adjustment Dates: Annual escalations, CPI adjustments, market reviews
• Financial Statement Delivery: Annual reporting deadline
• Insurance Certificate Renewal: Annual requirement

Notice Requirements: Typically require written notice 30-180 days in advance

Step 1: Document Preparation

Obtain:

• Executed lease agreement
• All amendments/addendums
• Schedules A-J (attachments)
• Correspondence regarding modifications

Organize: Chronological order (original → amendments)

Step 2: Extract Basic Information

Read sequentially:

1. Parties section (page 1)
2. Recitals/background (page 1-2)
3. Definitions (section 1)
4. Core provisions (sections 2-20)
5. Special provisions (Schedule G - CRITICAL)

Key Insight: Schedule G often overrides standard form provisions - read CAREFULLY

Step 3: Create Abstraction Table

Use standardized template:

```

Section | Provision | Page # | Key Terms | Notes

```

Example:

```

Base Rent | Year 1-5 | Page 3 | $20/sf/year | Escalates 2.5% annually

Free Rent | Months 1-3 | Page 4 | 3 months | Abates base rent only (pays opex)

Renewal | 1 × 5 years | Page 8 | Market rent | 12 months notice required

```

Step 4: Identify Red Flags

Look for:

• Inconsistencies between sections
• Schedule G overrides
• Missing provisions (e.g., no default cure period specified)
• Unusual terms (e.g., tenant may terminate with 30 days notice)
• Ambiguous language (e.g., "market rent TBD")

Step 5: Build Critical Dates Calendar

Create timeline of all notice deadlines and obligations:

```

Date | Event | Action Required

--------------+------------------------+----------------------------------

2025-12-15 | Lease Commencement | Tenant takes possession

2026-03-01 | Rent Commencement | First rent payment due

2029-12-15 | Renewal Notice | Deliver notice to exercise option

2030-12-15 | Lease Expiry | Tenant must vacate or renew

```

Rent Schedule

Extract:

• Base rent ($/sf or $/month)
• Escalation mechanism (fixed %, CPI, market review)
• Escalation dates
• Free rent periods
• Additional rent components

Operating Cost Recovery

Extract:

• Proportionate Share (%)
• Base Year (if applicable)
• Included/excluded costs
• Payment frequency (monthly estimate + annual reconciliation)
• Caps/ceilings

Options

Extract for each option:

• Type (renewal, expansion, termination, ROFO, ROFR)
• Term/size
• Rent determination (fixed, market, formula)
• Notice deadline (months before expiry)
• Conditions to exercise

Default Provisions

Extract:

• Monetary default cure period (typically 5-10 days)
• Non-monetary default cure period (typically 15-30 days)
• Landlord remedies (termination, damages, re-entry)
• Tenant bankruptcy rights

Assignment & Subletting

Extract:

• Landlord consent requirement (yes/no, permitted categories)
• Consent standard (not unreasonably withheld, absolute discretion)
• Profit sharing provisions
• Recapture rights
• Change of control triggers

Missing Provisions

No Cure Period:

• Lease silent on cure period for defaults
• Risk: Landlord may terminate immediately
• Action: Negotiate amendment adding cure rights

Ambiguous Rent Determination:

• "Market rent to be agreed"
• Risk: Deadlock on renewal
• Action: Add arbitration mechanism

No Use Clause:

• Permitted use undefined
• Risk: Tenant may use for any purpose
• Action: Specify permitted use

Conflicting Provisions

Schedule G Contradicts Base Lease:

• Example: Base lease says 5-day cure, Schedule G says 10-day cure
• Rule: Schedule G controls (special provisions override general)
• Action: Note conflict, apply Schedule G terms

Amendment Not Cross-Referenced:

• Amendment changes rent, but rent schedule not updated
• Risk: Ambiguity on current rent
• Action: Create consolidated rent schedule

Unusual Terms

Tenant Termination Right:

• Tenant may terminate lease on 90 days notice
• Risk: Lease instability
• Action: Highlight as critical term

Unlimited Assignment Right:

• Tenant may assign without landlord consent
• Risk: Loss of control over tenant quality
• Action: Flag for renegotiation at renewal

This skill is automatically loaded when:

• User mentions: lease abstraction, abstract lease, critical dates, extract terms, lease summary
• Commands invoked: /abstract-lease, /critical-dates
• Reading files: lease.pdf, lease.docx, agreement.pdf

Related Commands:

• /abstract-lease - Full 24-section abstraction (industrial/office)
• /critical-dates - Extract timeline and generate calendar reminders

Example 1: Industrial Lease Abstraction

Input: 15-page industrial lease + 5 schedules

Output (Excerpt):

```

LEASE ABSTRACTION SUMMARY

SECTION 1: PARTIES & PREMISES

Landlord: 123 Industrial Properties Inc.

Tenant: Acme Distribution Corp.

Guarantor: John Doe (President, personal guarantee)

Premises: Unit 5, 123 Industrial Parkway, 25,000 sf

Measurement: ANSI/BOMA Z65.2-2012 Method A

SECTION 2: TERM

Commencement: January 1, 2026

Rent Commencement: January 1, 2026 (no free rent)

Expiry: December 31, 2030 (5 years)

Option: 1 × 5 year renewal

Option Notice: By December 31, 2029 (12 months before expiry)

SECTION 3: BASE RENT

Year 1-2: $8.50/sf/year ($212,500/year, $17,708/month)

Year 3-5: $8.75/sf/year ($218,750/year, $18,229/month)

Escalation: Fixed schedule (above)

SECTION 4: OPERATING COSTS

Structure: Net lease

Proportionate Share: 20% (25,000 sf ÷ 125,000 sf building)

Payment: Monthly estimate $2,500, annual reconciliation

Exclusions: Structural repairs, capital improvements >$10K

SECTION 5: SECURITY

Deposit: $35,417 (2 months base rent)

Form: Letter of Credit or cash

Return: 30 days after lease end + final reconciliation

CRITICAL DATES:

• 2029-12-31: Renewal option notice deadline
• 2030-12-31: Lease expiry
• Annually: Financial statements due within 120 days of year-end
• Annually: Insurance certificates due on anniversary of commencement

RED FLAGS:

• Schedule G paragraph 12 allows landlord to terminate with 60 days notice if building sold (unusual)
• No expansion option despite tenant request (note for renewal negotiation)

```

---

Skill Version: 1.0

Last Updated: November 13, 2025

Related Skills: commercial-lease-expert, lease-compliance-auditor, lease-comparison-expert

Related Commands: /abstract-lease, /critical-dates