Lease Review
Reviewing a lease before you sign.
Typically Includes
- Full lease review
- Key term summary in plain language
- Negotiation recommendations
- One round of landlord negotiation
Commercial Leases AttorneyGet Your Lease Reviewed and Negotiated Before You Sign.
Commercial leases don't come with the protections a residential lease has, and many ask you to personally guarantee the space — putting your own assets on the line if the business can't pay.
Deborah Smiley is a Missouri business attorney and a CFP® — a Certified Financial Planner — so your lease is reviewed against your actual financial exposure, not just the legal language.
Free 30-minute consultationNo obligation
30 Years
Practicing law
11 Years
In wealth management, alongside her law practice
CFP®
Certified Financial Planner
AEP®
Accredited Estate Planner
What it does
What Commercial Lease Review Actually Does
Catches what the lease actually commits you to, before you're bound to it.
Every term, not just the base rent, reviewed for what it actually commits you to.
Caps, burn-off periods, or removal of personal guarantee terms, where the landlord will agree to it.
Common area maintenance and other pass-through costs defined and capped, not left open-ended.
Protects your ability to sell the business or sublease the space later.
Keeps a direct competitor from leasing space in the same building or center.
So you know exactly what happens at the end of the term, or if something goes wrong.
Deborah Smiley is a Missouri business attorney and a CFP® — a Certified Financial Planner — so your lease is reviewed against your actual financial exposure, not just the legal language.
What it doesn't do
What Commercial Lease Review Doesn't Do
Said plainly, so you know what else to expect.
A landlord doesn't have to agree to every requested change. Review gives you a stronger position to negotiate from, not a guaranteed outcome.
Your lease is separate from how your business is structured and how liability is contained.
Learn about Business Formation →Construction or tenant improvement work is typically a separate contract from the lease itself.
Not sure how this applies to your situation?
Call 636-214-0546What we watch for
Common Mistakes We Watch For
Most lease problems trace back to terms nobody flagged before signing. Here's what we check for, every time.
Without a cap or burn-off period, you can remain personally liable for the full lease term, even years into a successful business.
Common area maintenance costs can be significant, and sometimes open-ended if not capped in the lease.
Without one, a landlord can lease space to a direct competitor in the same building or shopping center.
Pricing
How Commercial Lease Work Is Priced
Pricing depends on the length of the lease and how much negotiation is involved. Most matters are quoted as a flat fee, agreed to before work begins.
Lease Negotiation
Active negotiation with the landlord.
Typically Includes
- Full lease review
- Personal guarantee negotiation
- CAM and cost clarifications
- Multiple rounds of negotiation
Complex or Multi-Location
Multiple locations, unusual terms, or a large space.
Typically Includes
- Multi-location lease coordination
- Complex use and exclusivity terms
- Build-out and improvement allowance review
- Coordinated with your CPA & advisors
Get an exact number for your situation — the first call is free.
Call 636-214-0546The process
How We Handle Your Lease
Every term, not just the rent, before you sign anything.
1
We review the lease
Every term, not just the rent, before you sign anything.
2
We flag what matters
Personal guarantee, CAM charges, and any terms that expose you more than they should.
3
We negotiate with the landlord
Pushing back on the terms that don't protect you.
4
We finalize it
So you know exactly what you're signing, and what it commits you to.
Your attorney
Why Business Owners Trust Deborah With This
Deborah Smiley
JD · CFP® · AEP®Deborah has practiced law in Missouri for 30 years. For 11 of those years, she also worked in wealth management — a combination that matters here too, since a personal guarantee is a real financial exposure, not just a legal formality.
She's a CFP® (Certified Financial Planner) and an AEP® (Accredited Estate Planner) — credentials very few business attorneys hold together.
30 yrsPracticing law in Missouri
11 yrsIn wealth management, alongside her law practice
CFP®Certified Financial Planner
AEP®Accredited Estate Planner
Past ChairProbate & Trust Committee, Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
Ready to talk through your plan?
Call 636-214-0546Client Reviews
Deb has been a great partner over the years and takes great care of my referrals/clients for their planning needs.
Harvey
I met Deb and I thought I had all my estate and business planning affairs in order; then she asked me questions that made me realize I had a lot more planning to do.
Jamie
Deb and I have been collaborative partners for almost 20 years. She has taken great care of my clients.
Paul
I have known Deb for years and she has given me peace of mind with my estate planning needs.
Carol
Deb has been instrumental in helping my family with their estate planning needs. We are grateful for her.
David
Deb has been very helpful with my and my family's estate and business planning.
Kelly
When we first moved here, I didn't realize how many legal revisions and details were needed. I heard Deb speak at a luncheon and was so impressed with her legal knowledge. Deb has been very helpful with my family's estate planning. She gave us peace of mind.
Jenny
Deb, thank you so much, we really appreciate all of your work and concern.
Bob and Myra
Deb was very responsive and helpful.
Chris
Deb was so helpful and even came to our house.
Missy and Ray
Deb was very responsive, helpful and intelligent.
John and Julie
Deb has been a great partner over the years and takes great care of my referrals/clients for their planning needs.
Harvey
I met Deb and I thought I had all my estate and business planning affairs in order; then she asked me questions that made me realize I had a lot more planning to do.
Jamie
Deb and I have been collaborative partners for almost 20 years. She has taken great care of my clients.
Paul
I have known Deb for years and she has given me peace of mind with my estate planning needs.
Carol
Deb has been instrumental in helping my family with their estate planning needs. We are grateful for her.
David
Deb has been very helpful with my and my family's estate and business planning.
Kelly
When we first moved here, I didn't realize how many legal revisions and details were needed. I heard Deb speak at a luncheon and was so impressed with her legal knowledge. Deb has been very helpful with my family's estate planning. She gave us peace of mind.
Jenny
Deb, thank you so much, we really appreciate all of your work and concern.
Bob and Myra
Deb was very responsive and helpful.
Chris
Deb was so helpful and even came to our house.
Missy and Ray
Deb was very responsive, helpful and intelligent.
John and Julie
Questions
Questions
A promise from the business owner to personally cover the lease if the business can't, putting personal assets at risk, not just the business's.
Often yes. Landlords will sometimes agree to cap the guarantee, limit it to a certain time period, or remove it after certain conditions are met.
Common area maintenance charges — a share of a building's shared costs like landscaping, snow removal, and upkeep, billed to tenants in addition to base rent.
A gross lease bundles most costs into one rent payment. A triple net lease has the tenant pay base rent plus property taxes, insurance, and maintenance separately.
Yes. Commercial tenants generally don't get the consumer protections residential tenants do, so the terms you sign are the terms you're bound to.
A lease term that keeps the landlord from leasing space in the same building or center to a direct competitor.
Only if the lease allows it. Without assignment or subletting rights, you may not be able to transfer the lease if you sell the business or need to leave early.
It depends on the length and complexity of the lease. Call for a free 30-minute consultation and we'll give you a clear cost estimate before you commit to anything.
Ready to Review Your Lease Before You Sign?
Call to schedule your free 30-minute consultation with Deborah — no obligation.
Call 636-214-0546Free 30-minute consultationNo obligationReal person answers