Leaseabstracts

Guides & resources

What is lease abstraction? Guides for CRE teams

Practical, CRE-literate explainers on lease abstraction: what it is, what a lease abstract contains, what it costs, and how to read the rent, CAM, option, and critical-date terms that drive value and risk across a portfolio. Each guide is written for the people who actually work the leases.

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Basics

Lease abstraction process: what it is and how CRE teams do it

The lease abstraction process explained: what lease abstraction is, the six steps CRE teams follow to pull key terms out of a commercial lease, and where AI fits.

June 2026 13 min read
Basics

What is a lease abstract? Meaning, example, and the full field set

What is a lease abstract: the meaning, a worked lease abstract example with clause references, the standard fields it contains, and how it differs from the full lease.

June 2026 11 min read
Costs

Lease Abstraction Cost Per Lease: 2026 Pricing Compared

Lease abstraction cost per lease: $25 to $150 outsourced, under $10 with software at volume, and about $203 a lease by hand. Worked math on a 100 lease backlog.

July 2026 12 min read
Guides

CAM reconciliation explained for commercial leases

CAM reconciliation explained: how common-area maintenance charges work, base year vs net, caps and exclusions, and how to keep true-ups defensible.

June 2026 11 min read
Guides

Lease critical dates checklist for CRE teams

A lease critical dates checklist: every deadline to track in a commercial lease, from renewal and termination notices to escalation steps and option windows.

June 2026 8 min read
Basics

Commercial lease key terms every CRE team should know

Commercial lease key terms: a plain-language glossary of the rent, escalation, CAM, option, and clause terms that drive value and risk in a lease.

June 2026 10 min read
Basics

Rent roll: what it is, what it includes, and an example

Rent roll explained: the row-per-tenant report of who occupies a property and what they pay, the columns it should include, a worked example, and how to build one straight from the leases.

July 2026 9 min read
Guides

CAM charges: what common area maintenance includes and what it costs tenants

CAM charges explained: what common area maintenance covers in a commercial lease, how the charges are calculated and billed, typical caps and exclusions, and how to check yours against the lease.

July 2026 10 min read
Guides

Percentage rent: how percentage leases work, with the breakpoint formula

Percentage rent explained: how retail percentage leases work, the natural breakpoint formula with a worked example, what counts as gross sales, and how to track the clause across a portfolio.

July 2026 9 min read
Basics

Triple net lease (NNN): what it is and who pays what

Triple net lease explained: what an NNN lease is, who pays taxes, insurance, and CAM, how NNN charges are calculated with a worked example, and how it compares to gross and modified gross leases.

July 2026 11 min read
Basics

Modified gross lease: what it means and who pays what

Modified gross lease explained: what a modified gross lease is, how expenses split between landlord and tenant, the base year mechanic, and how it compares to full service and triple net leases.

July 2026 9 min read
Basics

Holdover tenant: commercial lease holdover rent and options

Holdover tenant explained: what a holdover tenancy is, the holdover rent premium most commercial leases impose, the difference between holdover and a month-to-month tenancy, and how a landlord ends it.

July 2026 11 min read
Basics

Gross lease vs net lease: who pays what, and which is cheaper

Gross lease vs net lease compared: what each structure covers, how single, double, and triple net leases differ, how to compare a gross quote against an NNN quote, and which favors landlord or tenant.

July 2026 10 min read
Guides

Commercial lease renewal: process, notice, and rent increases

Commercial lease renewal explained: how the renewal process works, when the notice is due, how renewal option rent is set, and what tenants and landlords should do before the window closes.

July 2026 11 min read
Guides

Letter of intent for a commercial lease: what to include

Letter of intent for a commercial lease: what an LOI covers, whether it is binding, the terms to settle before drafting, and how the LOI carries into the signed lease.

July 2026 10 min read
Lease terms

Base year lease: how it works and base year vs expense stop

Base year lease explained: how a base year works in a commercial lease, base year vs expense stop, why a low base year costs you, and what to abstract.

July 2026 10 min read
Basics

Lease amendment vs addendum: the key differences

Lease amendment vs addendum: an amendment changes existing lease terms; an addendum adds new ones. When to use each, common commercial amendments, and how they change your abstract.

July 2026 9 min read
Lease accounting

Tenant Improvement Allowance Accounting: ASC 842 and GAAP

Tenant improvement allowance accounting under ASC 842 and US GAAP: TIAs are lease incentives that reduce the ROU asset, never netted against leasehold improvements, with worked journal entries.

August 2026 13 min read
Lease terms

Exclusive use clause in a commercial lease: examples and risks

Exclusive use clause explained: what it protects, sample retail lease language, the carve-outs that narrow it, what happens if a landlord breaches it, and how to track exclusives across a portfolio.

July 2026 10 min read
How-to

How to abstract a commercial lease: step-by-step checklist

How to abstract a commercial lease, step by step: assembling the document set, the field order that works, the abstract checklist, the five traps that cause rework, and how long it takes.

July 2026 11 min read
Operating expenses

CAM Caps in Commercial Leases: Cumulative vs Non-Cumulative

CAM caps explained: cumulative vs non-cumulative, compounding, controllable expenses, the arithmetic over a full term, and the seven fields to abstract.

July 2026 10 min read
Operating expenses

Gross Up Clause Commercial Lease: Operating Expense Gross Up

Gross up clause explained: how landlords gross up variable operating expenses to 95 percent occupancy, a worked calculation, and why the base year decides everything.

July 2026 11 min read
Lease accounting

Lease Commencement Date vs Rent Commencement Date: ASC 842

Lease commencement date vs rent commencement date explained: which one starts the term under ASC 842, how possession fits, and a worked example of what the wrong date costs.

July 2026 11 min read
Lease accounting

Operating Lease vs Finance Lease: ASC 842 Test and Example

Operating lease vs finance lease under ASC 842: the five classification tests, the 75% and 90% thresholds, expense patterns, and a worked example that flips the answer.

July 2026 11 min read
Lease accounting

Leasehold Improvements Depreciation Life and ASC 842

Leasehold improvements depreciation life under ASC 842: capitalization rules, the shorter-of test, the common control exception, and 2026 US tax treatment.

July 2026 10 min read
CAM and operating expenses

CAM Reconciliation Audit: Review and Dispute CAM Charges

CAM reconciliation audit guide for commercial tenants: the objection window, audit rights clauses, the seven checks to run, and how to dispute a statement.

July 2026 8 min read
Lease accounting

Lease Incentives ASC 842: Accounting Treatment and Examples

Lease incentives under ASC 842: what counts, why free rent does not, how paid and payable incentives are measured, and a worked example with journal entries.

August 2026 9 min read
Lease accounting

How to Calculate Lease Liability and Right-of-Use Asset

How to calculate lease liability and the right-of-use asset under ASC 842: which payments count, choosing the discount rate, and a worked office lease with escalations, free rent and a TI allowance.

August 2026 10 min read
Lease accounting

Weighted Average Remaining Lease Term: Formula and Example

Weighted average remaining lease term under ASC 842: the formula, what it is weighted by, a worked example, and why the discount rate uses a different weight.

August 2026 11 min read
Lease accounting

Risk-Free Rate Election ASC 842 for Private Companies

The ASC 842 risk-free rate election for private companies: what ASU 2021-09 changed, why the implicit rate still overrides it, and what it costs you.

August 2026 8 min read
AI

ChatGPT Lease Abstract: Can It Read a Commercial Lease?

Can ChatGPT abstract a commercial lease? What it gets right, where amendment chains and scanned pages break it, and when to use purpose-built extraction.

August 2026 9 min read
Lease clauses

Co-Tenancy Clause in Retail Leases: Triggers and Remedies

What a co-tenancy clause does in a retail lease: opening vs ongoing triggers, occupancy thresholds, cure periods, alternate rent, and the fields to abstract.

August 2026 8 min read
Lease clauses

Go Dark Clause vs Kick-Out Clause in a Commercial Lease

Go dark clause vs kick-out clause in a commercial lease: what each lets a tenant do, landlord recapture rights, notice windows, and the fields to abstract.

August 2026 8 min read
Basics

Ground lease: definition, vs fee simple, and vs triple net

Ground lease definition for US commercial real estate: how ground leases work, subordinated vs unsubordinated, ground lease vs fee simple and vs triple net.

August 2026 10 min read
Lease clauses

Right of first refusal commercial lease: ROFR vs ROFO

Right of first refusal in a commercial lease explained: how a ROFR works, ROFR vs ROFO, notice windows, carve-outs, and what to capture in the abstract.

August 2026 11 min read
Lease clauses

Good Guy Guaranty: The Good Guy Clause in a Commercial Lease

Good guy guaranty in a commercial lease: what the good guy clause covers, the notice and surrender steps that release the guarantor, and where it fails.

August 2026 8 min read
Lease clauses

Early Termination Clause in a Commercial Lease: Fees, Notice

Early termination clause in a commercial lease: what the termination fee covers, how the notice window works, and what it does to the ASC 842 lease term.

August 2026 9 min read
Lease clauses

Rent Escalation Clause in a Commercial Lease: CPI vs Fixed

Rent escalation clause types compared: fixed percentage, CPI indexed, and expense pass throughs, plus the BLS drafting rules most lease clauses ignore.

August 2026 12 min read
Lease clauses

Casualty and Condemnation Clause in a Commercial Lease

Casualty and condemnation clauses in a commercial lease: restoration deadlines, rent abatement, termination triggers, and who gets the condemnation award.

August 2026 9 min read
Lease clauses

Assignment and Subletting Clause in a Commercial Lease

Assignment and subletting clauses in a commercial lease: consent standards, continuing liability, recapture rights, profit sharing, and permitted transfers.

August 2026 9 min read
Lease clauses

Force Majeure Clause Commercial Lease: Examples That Hold Up

Force majeure clause in a commercial lease: the events it lists, whether it excuses rent, the Hitz ruling that cut rent to 25 percent, and what to abstract.

August 2026 10 min read
Lease clauses

Quiet Enjoyment Clause Commercial Lease: What It Protects

Quiet enjoyment clause in a commercial lease: what the covenant protects, when a landlord breaches it, and why constructive eviction requires abandonment.

August 2026 8 min read
Lease clauses

Self-Help Clause Commercial Lease: Lockout Rules by State

Self-help clause in a commercial lease: when a landlord can lock out a tenant without a court order, which states allow it, and what to abstract.

August 2026 9 min read
Lease clauses

Waiver of Subrogation Commercial Lease: Mutual Clause Rules

Waiver of subrogation in a commercial lease: what the mutual clause does, what courts do when the lease is silent, and which insurance fields to abstract.

August 2026 9 min read
Lease clauses

Alterations clause commercial lease: consent and restoration

Alterations clause in a commercial lease: the consent tiers, the reasonableness standard, who pays to restore the premises, and what to capture in the abstract.

September 2026 9 min read
Buying guides

Lease abstraction software for law firms and attorneys

Lease abstraction software for law firms compared: CRE tools versus contract analysis platforms, what it costs, how to bill it, and privilege checks.

September 2026 8 min read
Lease clauses

Radius restriction clause: retail lease examples, carve-outs

Radius restriction clause in a retail lease: how far the ring reaches, sample language, the carve-outs tenants negotiate, and the remedies for a breach.

September 2026 9 min read

Stop reading, start abstracting

Turn your next lease PDF into a source-linked abstract

Upload a commercial lease and get the dates, rent, escalations, options, CAM, deposit, and key clauses extracted and traced to the page and clause they came from. Export to Excel or PDF.