Financial Terms to Watch
"Additional rent" is a term that appears in many leases to designate charges beyond base rent — from late fees to utility charges to CAM fees. When a lease says "the following shall constitute additional rent," it means the landlord has the same legal remedies for non-payment of these charges as for failure to pay base rent — including eviction. "CPI adjustment" or "consumer price index" rent increases sound measured, but in inflationary periods CPI can run at 6–8%+, and without a cap these increases compound dramatically. "Pass-through" or "triple net" means you pay a share of the landlord's operating costs — taxes, insurance, and maintenance — often without detailed accounting or a defined cap.
Rights and Access Terms
"Landlord may enter at reasonable times" without defining "reasonable" or setting a specific notice requirement is vague language that could justify entry with little warning. "Tenant shall comply with all rules and regulations now in effect or hereafter adopted" means you are agreeing to follow rules that do not yet exist and have not been disclosed to you. "Quiet hours" provisions requiring silence during specified hours in ways that conflict with normal residential use can be more restrictive than they appear. "No alterations" clauses that prohibit any modification — including non-damaging picture hooks or temporary furniture anchors — can be unreasonably broad and used to justify security deposit deductions for entirely normal occupancy.
Don't review your lease alone
SaferLease AI analyzes your entire lease and flags risky clauses in under 60 seconds — for free.
Free Preview → $19 to UnlockLiability and Indemnification Terms
"Tenant indemnifies landlord for all claims arising from tenant's use of premises" sounds reasonable but can make you liable for injuries that result from the landlord's own failure to maintain the property. "As-is" acceptance language combined with no representation about condition can prevent you from asserting habitability claims for pre-existing issues — though this is generally unenforceable in residential leases. "Landlord not responsible for theft or loss" disclaimers for damage due to building security failures may limit your ability to recover for preventable losses. "Attorney's fees" provisions that only require the losing tenant to pay — but not the losing landlord — create an asymmetric risk that discourages tenants from exercising legitimate rights.
Exit and Default Terms
"Time is of the essence" means that all deadlines in the lease are strictly binding — missing a notice deadline by even one day can forfeit a right or trigger a default. "Acceleration" of rent means that upon default, all remaining rent for the full lease term becomes immediately due — not just the rent currently in arrears. "Landlord may re-enter and relet" language that does not include a mitigation requirement may allow landlords to claim the full remaining rent without actively seeking a replacement tenant. "Default" definitions that are very broad — including minor lease violations like having an unapproved guest for one night — can create grounds for eviction or rent acceleration over technical issues.
Commercial-Specific Terms
"Good guy guarantee" sounds favorable — and is — but only if you understand exactly when it terminates personal liability and what conditions you must meet to activate it. "Base year operating expenses" defines the baseline against which future increases are measured; a manipulated or unusually low base year inflates every future escalation comparison. "Gross-up" of operating expenses to 95% or 100% occupancy means you pay a proportionate share of costs as if the building were full, even if many spaces are vacant — effectively subsidizing the landlord's vacant units. "Recapture" rights allow the landlord to take back your space rather than approving a sublease or assignment — a significant and often overlooked limitation on your flexibility.
Related Lease Review Tools
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Articles
Understand Your Lease Before You Sign
Drop your lease below — free AI review in under 60 seconds.
Drop your lease here
PDF, DOCX, DOC · Free preview · $19 full report
SaferLease provides AI-powered informational analysis and is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.