Blog

Many tenants receive and Estoppel Certificate at some point during their lease term.  Some tenants just take a quick glance, sign it and send it straight back to the landlord....Read More

“You don’t get what you want, you get what you negotiate”   We have all heard the phrase, but do we always heed its advice?  Many leasing transactions are done with...Read More

By this is the time of year you have probably received your annual reconciliation statement of real estate tax and operating expenses from your landlord.  If your Landlord is on...Read More

The final FASB (GAAP) Lease Accounting Standard was released today. It has been a long time (2006) since the IASB and FASB (IFRS) endeavored to increase transparency and consistency in...Read More

Happy New Year!  The time has come again, the time for setting resolutions to get to the gym more often, eat healthier, and overall get in shape. But have you...Read More

Tenant Guardian’s real estate representation for Woodland Hills based Viking Cruises has been featured in the San Fernando Valley Business Journal.  Click here to read the full article. Read More

Has the business cycle run its course, or does it have legs for a few more years? Has the stock market peaked again? What about commercial Real Estate?  Is it different this...Read More

John Tablack has joined Tenant Guardian as a Principal to better serve his occupier clients.  John joins us from CRESA where he served as a Senior Vice President.  A tenacious negotiating style...Read More

Most every commercial lease contains a provision requiring both the tenant and the landlord to buy insurance.  Typically, several forms of insurance are required, including Commercial General Liability, Physical Damage, Workers Compensation, and...Read More

John Sabourin of Tenant Guardian has been featured on the latest Lawpreneur Radio show hosted by Miranda McCroskey. John discusses the value of a Real Estate Broker on the tenant...Read More

Short answer… It might depend on your neighbor’s lease…   I was recently negotiating on behalf of a client to sublease space from another tenant in their existing building. We agreed...Read More

As a tenant rep I have to take a pretty hard line on landlords to ensure my clients get a good deal and that the “benefit of the bargain” is...Read More

Personally, I think we are getting close to the top (ie: end) of the real estate cycle.  Over Easter weekend I was talking to some family and friends that are...Read More

Click here to listen to Tenant Guardian’s Founder, John Sabourin talk with Ron Siegel on Ron Siegel Home & Finance Radio.  Ron Siegel of Anaheim Hills, CA and John Sabourin of Newport...Read More

If you have been following the ongoing joint efforts of the FASB and IASB (IFRS) to converge and change lease accounting standards, it has been a long road.  Globalization, the financial...Read More

BIM (Building Information Modeling) is a process involving the generation and management of digital representations of physical and functional characteristics of places, as defined by Wikipedia. Why should an occupier...Read More

One of the primary considerations of any lease is the length of the Lease Term.  Sometimes flexibility requires a very short lease, and sometimes a lease needs to be longer to...Read More

Sale-Leasebacks, in real estate, are financial transactions whereby an owner of real estate sells its property and then leases it back for a long term.  These transactions have been popular...Read More

A good friend of mine, Ed Harris at CTS, recently wrote an article about occurrences that signal the need to review, or audit, your lease.  I have edited his writing to shrink...Read More

While my inner punk rocker smiles at the term, the Damage and Destruction clause in any office lease is no laughing matter.  Although seldom used, it can be the most...Read More

  What makes some real estate so valuable? Many things, but the iconic nature of buildings and other assets in any community add to the allure, and the value of...Read More

If you had a brain tumor, would you see a general practitioner or an orthopedic surgeon?  Of course you would not!  You would see a neuro-oncologist. The same goes for...Read More

What happens at the end of a commercial lease when the tenant cannot move out in time?  Clearly there are huge differences compared with a residential lease where the tenant can...Read More

“You don’t get what you want, you get what you negotiate”   We have all heard the phrase, but do we always heed its advice?  Many leasing transactions are done with...Read More

Sometimes I sit down to write a blog thinking that I will just wax poetic about real estate and inspire myself or somebody else to come up with a great...Read More

When your clients keep asking why you don’t start your own real estate business, you start to wonder…   After a while you have to listen to what they are...Read More

CBRE Project Management recently gave a presentation on changes to California Building Standards Code aka “Title 24” that will take effect on January 1st, 2014. The new requirements are aimed...Read More

Well, if your like many tenants these days you may want to bring your bathing suit to the next lease negotiation meeting… Most Full Service Gross, or “Base Year” leases...Read More

Everybody wants to reduce their carbon footprint these days, and for good reason.  Companies are catering to a demographic that is continually more concerned about the environment – both for...Read More

If you live in California you are used to new laws encumbering business seemingly everyday.  Well, this month is no different.  California has two new regulations that are supposed to...Read More

Tenants “renew” leases all the time, but almost always outside the legal bounds of the renewal right in their lease.  Technically, most tenants negotiate a “lease extension,” as opposed to...Read More

Many companies thrive on collaboration. “Creative” space combined with technology enhances collaboration by creating spaces that encourage in-promptu exchanges within a structured office environment.  It typically looks cool too.  But...Read More

I was lucky enough to have a business / pleasure trip to Amsterdam recently.  What a great place!  As a Californian I haven’t thought much about the impact that the Netherlands has...Read More

Assignment and Subleasing Below are some simple rules to live by when negotiating sublease and assignment rights from Gregg Pasternak: The Assignment and Subleasing clause is one of the most...Read More

I was recently introduced to Gensler’s magazine “Dialogue.”  If you are into commercial real estate issues like workplace and architecture it is a must read with great pictures of Gensler’s...Read More

In corporate real estate buzzwords like Sustainability, LEED, and Workplace are all the rage, and for good reason.  We all care about the environment in which we live and work....Read More

My good friend Gregg Pasternak tells us why we need audit rights in our leases, how they work, and how they should be structured.  I particularly like his opening line:...Read More

It is amazing to me how many times I have represented tenants who would prefer to remain in their current location only to find that their landlord wants to “hold...Read More

Many tenants are large enough in an office project to warrant asking for a building top or monument sign.  Just like retail tenants expect, this signage can drive new business...Read More

This is a good article on base year gross ups from KBA: http://ow.ly/fOGTA One of my pet peaves! You can also get my take on this subject in one of my...Read More

Are the anti FASB change voices loud enough for the government to hear? http://ow.ly/fOFs6 #TenantRepresentation #CoreNet #SIOR @CBRESoCalRead More

Many of our clients voice concern about waiving statutory rights in leases.  Gregg Pasternak is an attorney.  He specializes in the proper documentation of office and retail leases on behalf of our clients.  Below...Read More

If you have been reading my blogs you know that I often offer my thoughts on the ins and outs of important lease clauses. Subleasing, Transfer and Assignment rights are...Read More

It seems like every real estate conference or association “state of the market” event that I attend these days has an overriding theme.  All of the money (Equity and Debt)...Read More

One of the most under-negotiated clauses in leases is the paragraph dealing with Use.  In general, when a landlord prepares a lease it limits the use as much as possible...Read More

I recently attended the NAIOP Capital Markets Review in Newport Beach California.  It was your typical Moderator / Panelist format with Mark Gibson off HFF leading the discussion among 3...Read More

I get asked a lot of questions about real estate, but one question never stops coming.  It is asked by my clients, tenants I meet with, and other brokers in...Read More

I read an article in the Harvard Business Review this morning (http://t.co/q61tlJ07) . It talked about how most big corporations are miserable at innovating. Other than a few bright spots like the...Read More

I met with a client today who’s business has continually expanded over the last 10 years.  They have been smart and deliberate about planning for expansion.  Each time they have...Read More

California adopted Proposition 13 in 1978. The initiative was politically charged and was called the Peoples Initiative to Limit Property Taxes.  It limited the amount of the property tax percentage...Read More

I can hear it already, “John, really?  Couldn’t you have picked a really tantalizing subject, instead of Operating Expenses and Tax Pass throughs for your first blog?”  I know, it...Read More