Commercial Lease Redline Checklist

The Commercial Lease Redline Checklist is a one-page planning document for any Florida business preparing to sign a commercial lease, a renewal, or an assignment. It lists the six clauses a tenant should not sign without negotiating — with the version that holds up and the version that does not.

Most commercial lease losses are not decided at default. They are decided at signature. The checklist isolates the six clauses that quietly carry the most exposure: the personal guarantee, the CAM definition, the escalation formula, the relocation clause, the holdover provision, and the surrender obligation.

What the checklist covers

• Personal guarantee: burnoff, cap, good-guy guaranty alternatives.
• CAM: annual cap on controllable expenses, uncontrollable carve-outs, tenant audit right.
• Escalation: fixed-percentage versus CPI with floor and cap; landlord-cost references to avoid.
• Relocation: building, floor, square-footage and window-line constraints; cost reimbursement.
• Holdover: rate, window cap, consequential damages.
• Surrender: permitted alterations schedule, landlord build-out carve-outs, restoration obligation.

For the structural background, see 6 Commercial Lease Traps That Cost Florida Tenants the Most. For the step-by-step redline order of operations, see the firm's commercial lease negotiation guide. To have a lease reviewed by counsel, the firm's flat-fee Lease Review engagement covers commercial and residential.