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What is an Assignment of Lease?
The assignment of lease is a title document that transfers all rights possessed by a lessee or tenant to a property to another party. The assignee takes the assignor’s place in the landlord-tenant relationship.
You can view an example of a lease assignment here .
How Lease Assignment Works
In cases where a tenant wants to or needs to get out of their lease before it expires, lease assignment provides a legal option to assign or transfer rights of the lease to someone else. For instance, if in a commercial lease a business leases a place for 12 months but the business moves or shuts down after 10 months, the person can transfer the lease to someone else through an assignment of the lease. In this case, they will not have to pay rent for the last two months as the new assigned tenant will be responsible for that.
However, before the original tenant can be released of any responsibilities associated with the lease, other requirements need to be satisfied. The landlord needs to consent to the lease transfer through a “License to Assign” document. It is crucial to complete this document before moving on to the assignment of lease as the landlord may refuse to approve the assignment.
Difference Between Assignment of Lease and Subletting
A transfer of the remaining interest in a lease, also known as assignment, is possible when implied rights to assign exist. Some leases do not allow assignment or sharing of possessions or property under a lease. An assignment ensures the complete transfer of the rights to the property from one tenant to another.
The assignor is no longer responsible for rent or utilities and other costs that they might have had under the lease. Here, the assignee becomes the tenant and takes over all responsibilities such as rent. However, unless the assignee is released of all liabilities by the landlord, they remain responsible if the new tenant defaults.
A sublease is a new lease agreement between the tenant (or the sublessor) and a third-party (or the sublessee) for a portion of the lease. The original lease agreement between the landlord and the sublessor (or original tenant) still remains in place. The original tenant still remains responsible for all duties set under the lease.
Here are some key differences between subletting and assigning a lease:
- Under a sublease, the original lease agreement still remains in place.
- The original tenant retains all responsibilities under a sublease agreement.
- A sublease can be for less than all of the property, such as for a room, general area, portion of the leased premises, etc.
- Subleasing can be for a portion of the lease term. For instance, a tenant can sublease the property for a month and then retain it after the third-party completes their month-long sublet.
- Since the sublease agreement is between the tenant and the third-party, rent is often negotiable, based on the term of the sublease and other circumstances.
- The third-party in a sublease agreement does not have a direct relationship with the landlord.
- The subtenant will need to seek consent of both the tenant and the landlord to make any repairs or changes to the property during their sublease.
Here is more on an assignment of lease here .
Parties Involved in Lease Assignment
There are three parties involved in a lease assignment – the landlord or owner of the property, the assignor and the assignee. The original lease agreement is between the landlord and the tenant, or the assignor. The lease agreement outlines the duties and responsibilities of both parties when it comes to renting the property. Now, when the tenant decides to assign the lease to a third-party, the third-party is known as the assignee. The assignee takes on the responsibilities laid under the original lease agreement between the assignor and the landlord. The landlord must consent to the assignment of the lease prior to the assignment.
For example, Jake is renting a commercial property for his business from Paul for two years beginning January 2013 up until January 2015. In January 2014, Jake suffers a financial crisis and has to close down his business to move to a different city. Jake doesn’t want to continue paying rent on the property as he will not be using it for a year left of the lease. Jake’s friend, John would soon be turning his digital business into a brick-and-mortar store. John has been looking for a space to kick start his venture. Jake can assign his space for the rest of the lease term to John through an assignment of lease. Jake will need to seek the approval of his landlord and then begin the assignment process. Here, Jake will be the assignor who transfers all his lease related duties and responsibilities to John, who will be the assignee.
You can read more on lease agreements here .
Image via Pexels by RODNAE
Assignment of Lease From Seller to Buyer
In case of a residential property, a landlord can assign his leases to the new buyer of the building. The landlord will assign the right to collect rent to the buyer. This will allow the buyer to collect any and all rent from existing tenants in that property. This assignment can also include the assignment of security deposits, if the parties agree to it. This type of assignment provides protection to the buyer so they can collect rent on the property.
The assignment of a lease from the seller to a buyer also requires that all tenants are made aware of the sale of the property. The buyer-seller should give proper notice to the tenants along with a notice of assignment of lease signed by both the buyer and the seller. Tenants should also be informed about the contact information of the new landlord and the payment methods to be used to pay rent to the new landlord.
You can read more on buyer-seller lease assignments here .
Get Help with an Assignment of Lease
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Meet some of our Assignment of Lease Lawyers
Brian R.
Brian C. Restivo, the managing member of Restivo Legal, PLLC, has been licensed by the State Bar of Texas and continuously practicing as an attorney since November of 2000. Over these years, he has represented customers across the spectrum - from a Fortune 500 company to individuals - and is seasoned at tailoring his services to the unique needs of each customer.
Antonella C.
I am a business transactional & trademark attorney with 15 years experience in the law firm and in-house settings. I am barred in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. I currently own my own practice serving businesses and entrepreneurs with business transactional and IP law.
August 12, 2023
Christopher L.
Christopher M. Lapinig is an experienced attorney, admitted to practice in California and New York, with extensive experience in civil litigation at the trial and appellate levels in various areas of the law, including, but not limited to, constitutional law, labor and employment, and consumer protection. He also has experience in immigration law and with administrative wage-and-hour claims. Chris currently works in impact litigation, and he also teaches legal writing at the University of Southern California. Chris also has significant experience in journalism and lay writing; his work has been published in The New York Times, The Atlantic, CNN, and other prominent media outlets. Born and raised in Queens, New York, Chris previously served as a Deputy Attorney General in the Consumer Protection Section at the California Department of Justice. He also served as a Skadden Fellow and Staff Attorney in the Impact Litigation Unit at Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles, where his work focused on providing holistic and culturally sensitive legal services to victims and survivors of human trafficking in the Filipino community. At Advancing Justice-LA, Chris also litigated voting rights and immigrant rights cases. At the beginning of his legal career, Chris served as a law clerk to the Honorable Denny Chin of United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and was the first Filipino American Clerk for the Honorable Lorna G. Schofield of United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, the first federal Article III judge of Filipino descent in United States history. Chris was also a Fulbright Research Scholar in the Philippines. A Phi Beta Kappa member, Chris graduated summa cum laude from Yale College and earned a B.A. with Distinction in Linguistics and with Distinction in Ethnicity, Race and Migration. In college, Chris served as President of Kasama: The Filipino Club at Yale, Moderator of the Asian American Students Alliance, and Head Coordinator of the Asian American Cultural Center. Chris returned to Yale for law school and received his J.D. in 2013. In law school, Chris served as the Co-Chair of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, the Co-Coordinator of the Critical Race Theory Conference, the inaugural Diversity Editor of the Yale Law Journal, and the Founding Coordinator of the Alliance for Diversity. He was a member of the Worker and Immigrant Rights’ Advocacy Clinic.
August 14, 2023
Jacob W.
Background in Engineering, Masters in Business, Licensed Patent Attorney. Reviewed countless title reports, and land contracts. If you have a problem with Real Estate I can solve it.
September 2, 2023
Jeffrey J.
I have been in business development for 15 years before becoming an attorney. As an attorney, I help companies navigate legal challenges that they face.
August 15, 2023
Anthony V.
Anthony M. Verna III, is the managing partner at Verna Law, P.C. With a strong focus on Trademark, Copyright, Domain Names, Entertainment, and Advertising law, Verna Law, P.C. strives to provide all Intellectual Property services a modern business of any size may need to market and promote itself better. From the very early concept stage, Verna Law, P.C. can conduct a comprehensive, all-encompassing search and analysis on any proposed trademark to head off complications. Once the proposed concept enters the Alpha stage, Verna Law, P.C. can seamlessly switch to handling registration, protection, and if needed, defense of registered trademarks, copyrights, and domain names, as well as prosecution of entities violating said rights. Verna Law, P.C. also provides intellectual property counseling and services tailored to fit into your business’ comprehensive growth strategy. This shows as many of Verna Law, P.C.’s clients are international: from China, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Germany, Verna Law’s reach is worldwide. Additionally, Verna Law, P.C., can handle your business’ Entertainment and Advertising law needs by helping your business create advertising and promotions that keep competitors and regulators at bay. Located in the shadow of New York City, Verna Law, P.C. has a global reach that will provide clients with the most vigorous Intellectual Property advocate available. Anthony M. Verna III is a member of the New York and New Jersey Bars, as well as the U.S. District Court Southern District of New York. He is a sought-after business speaker, including regular appearances at the World Board Gaming Championships, Business Marketing Association of New Jersey, and Columbian Lawyers Association.
August 17, 2023
Cory L.
NA
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Contract to lease land from a church?
I’m planning on leasing land from a church. Putting a gym on the property. And leasing it back to the school.
Donya G.
Ok; first step is that you will need a leasing contract with the church. Ask them to prepare one for you so you would just need an attorney to review the agreement and that should cost less than if you had to be the party to pay a lawyer to draft it from scratch. You need to ensure that the purpose of the lease is clearly stated - that you plan to put a gym on the land so that there are no issues if the church leadership changes. Step 2 - you will need a lease agreement with the school that your leasing it do (hopefully one that is similar to the original one your received from the church). Again, please ensure that all the terms that you discuss and agree to are in the document; including length of time, price and how to resolve disputes if you have one. I hope this is helpful. If you would like me to assist you further, you can contact me on Contracts Counsel and we can discuss a fee for my services. Regards, Donya Ramsay (Gordon)
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