In a commercial lease setting, one of the most often overlooked (but critically important) lease provision is the method of allocating and measuring the square footage of the leased premises.
Read MoreOn March 28th, after a year-long lawsuit, the King County Superior Court struck down, as a violation of the state constitution, Seattle’s “first in time” ordinance which required residential landlords to screen rental applications in chronological order and award the…
Read MoreThe American Institute of Architects (AIA) has for nearly 130 years produced standardized form contracts for the construction industry. The AIA reviews and updates its form contracts based on industry trends and important decisions, and in 2017 revealed substantive changes…
Read MoreThe Washington Court of Appeals recently issued its opinion in Rowe vs. Klein, which teaches that sellers of property in Washington should exercise caution before agreeing to give a deed with warranties of title, such as a statutory warranty deed.…
Read MoreOn December 11, 2017, the Seattle City Council voted 7-0 to enact new regulations for short-term rentals. The new regulations will take effect on January 1, 2019, and will require all operators of short-term rentals (including those offered on sites…
Read MoreOn November 16, 2017, the House of Representatives passed the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” (H.R. 1) (the “House Bill”) with a 227–205 vote. The Senate’s version of the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” (the “Senate Bill”) has not been…
Read MoreThis post follows up on a prior article addressing the myriad issues that can occur when a retail tenant abandons the premises before the expiration of the lease term: When A Retail Tenant Goes Dark – Part One. This is a growing…
Read MoreDespite strong consumer confidence and the lowest unemployment level in a decade, retail defaults this year are expected to surpass those in 2009 when the economy was in the throes of the Great Recession. Sorry, We're Closed, The Economist, May…
Read MoreAs craft breweries often merge retail and industrial leasing concepts, they face a unique set of legal issues when negotiating a commercial lease agreement for their production facility and/or tasting room. License/Permit Contingencies and Permitted Use Provisions are Critical First…
Read MoreDebt Acceleration Generally Commercial and residential loan documents typically give the lender the option of accelerating the debt following an event of default. In other words, if the borrower fails to pay, or if some other event of default occurs,…
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