So you've found the perfect space to lease for your business
but it involves taking over the lease from an existing tenant. What
are some things you should consider before signing the lease?
The agent procuring the deal has probably told you to just sign
the lease. It's not like you can change anything in there
anyway, right? Wrong!
The agent may be correct in that it is unlikely the landlord
will agree to any amendments to the lease given that they struck
the deal at an earlier time with the existing tenant, and it is
unlikely that they would want to disrupt the status quo. However,
you will never know unless you ask. Ask the agent whether you can
put forward a proposal to the landlord seeking a different
commercial deal, or a variation of the terms of the lease. It may
be that if the landlord is receiving a benefit from this, they may
in fact agree to the changes you are seeking. So, for example, if
you want to seek to change the make-good obligations at the
