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<p class="MsoNormal">Jeff: with husband dying there may be an opportunity for erase any lease debt from client’s name. consider that in your overall analysis.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com <wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Jeff Davis<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, February 12, 2021 11:20 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> 'Roger Moss' <ram@rinconres.org>; 'RPPT Section' <wsbarp@lists.wsbarppt.com><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [WSBARP] Contracting Around Landlord Tenant Law<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thank you Roger for your experience and insight. First, this was not my provision; The lease came to me when client moved attorneys. I am also not dealing the larger issues you have in your career.
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<p class="MsoNormal">The tenant is an elderly person who ran a coffee/knickknack shop in Landlord’s small mall. Covid shut her down a ago. However, being somewhat of a hoarder, the shop has a lot of junk in it. Landlord, also elderly, let tenant stay as
long as rent was paid, as tenant’s spouse was dying. That’s happened. <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">The tenant will never reopen the coffee shop but still refuses to move. She’s tried to sell the business but is unreasonable in terms and has lost several interested buyers. Landlord just wants to get the unit back.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">I agree with you that tenant may not do anything if Landlord exercises the option. She lacks both the money and desire to fight. Landlord is also willing to store her stuff for a limited time for her to remove it.
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<p class="MsoNormal">I just wanted to find out if there is any case law on these self-help contract clauses. Obviously, on the residential side I would never even think of putting such a provision in a lease. But Courts seem to give commercial parties more
leeway.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Jeff<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> Roger Moss <<a href="mailto:ram@rinconres.org">ram@rinconres.org</a>>
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<b>Sent:</b> Friday, February 12, 2021 11:04 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:jeff@bellanddavispllc.com">jeff@bellanddavispllc.com</a>; RPPT Section <<a href="mailto:wsbarp@lists.wsbarppt.com">wsbarp@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [WSBARP] Contracting Around Landlord Tenant Law<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Jeff that is a very odd provision, and it would be helpful have more context.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">These comments are made without reference to any moratoria rules, and spring from my experience in leasing roles for chain-stores and large shopping center organizations.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">My colleagues and I saw and often crafted thousands of uni-lateral rights to cancel leases. Examples include the one Starbucks puts into new store deals, and landlord clauses that give them the absolute right to recover space that may be
essential to redevelop a property.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">The clauses are easy to write, but very detailed; scriveners work hard to avoid any ambiguity of intent, purpose or outcome. <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">It is common for retail chains who acquire other retailers, and landlords who buy properties to redevelop, to find imperfect leases that contain cancelation rights that are ambiguous. The best strategy to deal with it is to exercise the
damn option, and be prepared to negotiate from strength.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">With the other facts you describe, there does not seem much downside to exercising the option and then sit back and see what happens. <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">The tenant may be relieved to get it.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#5B5B5B">Roger A. Moss </span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#5B5B5B">Managing Director<br>
<b><i>Rincon Resolutions LLC</i></b><br>
206.790.1971 Seattle</span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#5B5B5B">415.371.9724 San Francisco</span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="color:black"><a href="http://RinconRes.org">RinconRes.org</a><br>
<br>
</span><b><span style="font-size:7.5pt;color:#0120A9">Confidential Correspondence</span></b><span style="font-size:7.5pt;color:#0120A9"><br>
The information in this e-mail (including attachments, if any) is considered privileged and/or confidential and is intended only for the recipient(s) listed above. Any review, use, disclosure, distribution or copying of this e-mail is prohibited except by or on
behalf of the intended recipient. If you have received this email in error, please notify me immediately by reply email, delete this email, and do not disclose its contents to anyone.</span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">On Feb 12, 2021, at 9:59 AM, Jeff Davis <<a href="mailto:jeff@bellanddavispllc.com">jeff@bellanddavispllc.com</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Listmates:<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Commercial Lease. It contains a remedies provision when Tenant defaults that allows for a non-judicial termination of the lease on ten days’ notice. The clause specifically states “No judicial action is required to terminate the lease
pursuant to this paragraph.” <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">The lease, by its terms, ends June 30, 2021. The tenant closed its business over a year ago yet still stores things in the unit; rent has been paid, sporadically, but usually only after a letter from me. Client wants to invoke the 10 day
termination clause. To what extent are parties to a commercial lease allowed to contract around the landlord tenant law? Here Landlord would be using the 10 termination clause to shorten the contract term and forego any unlawful detainer action to judicially
terminate the lease.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Your thoughts!<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Jeff Davis<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">W. Jeff Davis, Esq.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">BELL & DAVIS PLLC<br>
P.O. Box 510<br>
Sequim WA 98382<br>
Phone No.:(360) 683.1129<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br>
Fax No.: (360) 683.1258<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br>
email:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="mailto:info@bellanddavispllc.com">info@bellanddavispllc.com</a><br>
<a href="http://www.bellanddavispllc.com/" target="_blank">www.bellanddavispllc.com</a><br>
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The information contained in this e-mail message may be privileged, confidential, and protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, distribution, or copying is strictly prohibited. If you think that you have received this
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