Posted 06-02-16

5 Things Every Dentist Should Do BEFORE Renewing an Office Lease
by Jeremy Behar, President and CEO, Cirrus Consulting Group

Smart dental office lease negotiations require long-term strategic planning and a proactive approach. Like a poker player who analyzes their hand and anticipates the dealer's cards, dentists who prepare for lease renewals and begin negotiations ahead of time are more likely to come out winners.

Here's what you need to know to get ahead of the game and start planning for your upcoming office lease renewal.

1. Save the date

The first thing to do is review your current office lease. Note your lease expiry date and your lease renewal date (often called an "option to extend"), and mark these in your calendar, with several reminders as the dates draw nearer. It is recommended that dentists start preparing for negotiations at least 18 to 24 months before their lease expiry date. This typically provides enough time to assess your short and long-term practice goals, prepare a negotiation strategy, and bring the landlord to the table.

2. Read the fine print

Next, review and analyze the language in your office lease to identify any clauses that may impact your flexibility for a renewal or hinder your long-term plans. Often, risky language in the lease is buried under dense legal jargon that may take some digging to find.

3. Look for these important leasing considerations:

Option to Renew: Does the lease provide sufficient options to renew the lease? When the time comes to transition/sell the practice, will these options be transferable to a future tenant? Without flexibility in a lease, your practice value goes down immensely in the eyes of a future buyer.

Surprise Relocations: Can your landlord relocate your practice multiple times throughout your tenancy, at your expense?

Death and Disability Protection: In the event that a death or an accident prevents you from working, are you and your family protected? Can you terminate the lease, or will your landlord continue to charge you rent until the end of your lease term?

Assignment Language: Can your landlord deny your request to sell the practice and retire? Can they terminate your lease and evict you from the premises just for inquiring?

When it comes to deciphering the complex language in your office lease and understanding how to structure your new one, it is recommended that you engage the help of dental office leasing professionals as there is little room for error.

4. Know the stakes

So, now that you are fully aware of the risks buried in your lease, and its expiration and renewal deadlines, what's next? Track them! When you pass your office lease expiry date, you turn into a month-to-month or "overholding" tenant, which means that you are no longer protected by the security of your lease. This is a risky arrangement because your landlord now has the right to terminate your lease with 30 days' written notice, giving you very little time to find a new location and relocate your practice.

5. Make your move

In the long run, a dentist who sits back and does nothing about their lease renewal deadline will spend a lot of time, effort, and money repairing unnecessary damage. A dentist who prepares early, avoids the financial pitfalls and inconvenience brought on by poor planning. All it takes is a careful review of your dental office lease agreement, anticipating—and not simply waiting for—the expiry of your current lease, and knowing what terms to negotiate so your business is protected.

When it comes to planning for an office lease renewal, a dentist should approach their lease negotiation with a full understanding of what it is they want to achieve for their practice in the long run. Don't be a passive tenant, and don't allow your landlord to command the terms of your tenancy.

Educate yourself and take action, so that when it's time to negotiate the terms of your new lease, you're the one coming out on top with a winning hand. Request a free consultation to discuss any areas of concern in your lease.