How to Value a Business Lease

Commercial leases are generally considered to be lengthy and expensive documents that, once signed, do not need to be reconsidered as long as the tenant pays the rent and is able to operate from the premises. However, these leases contain important provisions that become applicable in many specific circumstances that are often unlikely. The sales comparison approach for the estimated market value of commercial real estate, also known as the market approach, is based on prices obtained from recently sold comparable local properties, as well as offer prices for currently listed properties. The sales comparison approach is often used to evaluate residential properties such as single-family homes and multi-family homes. This valuation method takes into account the cost of rebuilding the structure from scratch, taking into account the current value of the associated land, as well as the building materials and other costs that would be associated with replacing the existing structure. There are other fine print areas in a lease that limit its allocation if you sell a business in addition to the owners` share of profits. Long-term planning and attention to detail are at the forefront of commercial space leasing as well as short-term financial aspects. While landlords are reluctant to accept changes to their “standard” leases, especially for small tenants, if one option or long-term goal is to sell your business, you should carefully consider the assignment clauses. Recovery clause. The obligation in the lease to return the premises to its original condition is a significant burden for a company that has large improvements that are difficult for tenants to remove. This responsibility is often overlooked by contractors when entering into leases.

Environmental remediation can also be a significant expense at the end of a lease. For one chemical processing company we worked with, the estimated cost of dismantling the plant actually exceeded the value of the company. Often, entrepreneurs choose to sell their business towards the end of their lease. What does the buyer really buy in this case, especially in the case of a greatly improved restaurant, manufacturing, specialty or medical store? The cost approach to commercial real estate values the property as equal to the price of the land plus the cost of building the building – or the cost of constructing a similar building – when buying commercial real estate, no question is more important than: “How much does it cost?” But the question makes even more sense if you also have a good idea of the value of the property. Focusing on commercial real estate is part of science and art, but there are several valuation methods available to you. A lease agreement transfers a tenant`s rights to use and occupy a landlord`s land for a certain period of time under certain conditions through a lease agreement. The value of the agreement is usually determined by the terms of the agreement – in particular, the actual rental price compared to the fair market rental prices. If the actual rental price is lower than the market-driven rental prices, the tenant benefits, and if it is higher than the fair market, the landlord benefits.

The evaluation of the lease agreement can be carried out in different ways for each circumstance. A quick and dirty method used to evaluate an apartment building is value per door. For example, a comparable 10-apartment building for $2 million would have a value per door of $200,000. If you want to evaluate a comparable property with 14 apartments, you can multiply 14 by $200,000, giving it a value of $2.8 million. This only makes sense if the apartments are roughly equivalent. It does not take into account differences in the size and quality of the apartment, vacancy and collection costs or unusual maintenance/repair costs. A final remedy that can be offered to a landlord in the event of an application for assignment or sublease is the right to terminate the lease. For businesses with favourable or established locations, the risk that a landlord will use these additional rights to obtain additional compensation for the transaction is unacceptable. For example, if you are a residential developer who wants to buy three acres of land in a barren area to convert it into condominiums, the value of that land is based on the best use of that land. If the land is surrounded by oil fields and the next person lives 20 miles away, the best use and therefore the highest value of this property is not conversion to apartments, but perhaps the extension of drilling rights to find more oil. Here is a short glossary of terms commonly used to determine the value of a property. Think of interest on fees as the fair value of the property.

If you can`t get it from a valuation report or online through the local tax appraiser, you can use different methods to estimate the fair value of a property. It is always best for a qualified real estate appraiser to perform property appraisals, but in their absence, you can get comparable real estate transactions as close as possible to the property in question. In the case of income-generating property, net operating income is capitalized or converted into value to determine fair value. This can be a little more difficult to do because you need to calculate net operating income using market-driven lease prices and operating margins, as well as a reasonable capitalization rate. The cost-based approach is generally used when appropriate benchmarks are difficult to find. B for example when the property contains relatively unique or specialized improvements, or when the improved structures have added significant value to the underlying land. In the income approach, value is linked to rental income via the capitalization rate of the property. The equation for the value of the property is as follows: Almost all commercial leases contain restrictions on the assignment, sublease or other transfer of the leased premises to another party. These restrictions are necessary and reasonable from the landlord`s perspective. Your landlord obviously has the right to ensure that any successor to your business or lease has a reasonable chance of continuing to pay the rent. Calculate rental interest based on the same principles you used to assess interest on rental fees.

However, if you have already calculated the values of interest on fees and rent, you should already have your rental interest value. Use the following formula to determine the fair value of the rental interest: The simple fee interest minus the rental interest is the rental interest. If the resulting value is negative, the rental interest has no value. Al Statz is President of Exit Strategies Group Inc., a brokerage, merger, acquisition and valuation firm serving close-held companies in Northern California. He can be reached confidentially at 707-778-2040 or alstatz@exitstrategiesgroup.com. Price per square foot is a common and easy-to-understand measure that all investors can use to determine where their property should be valued. In other words, if a 2,000-square-foot townhouse is rented for $1/square foot, investors can reasonably expect income in this stage, provided that comparable townhouses in the area also go there. If you structure your investment lease correctly now, you can make a profitable and transparent exit at this point. Even if you are 20 years before retirement, you should consider your contingency plan when entering into a lease. Are there any other rental issues to watch out for? these fundamental questions are just the beginning. Make sure you get help from the appropriate professionals.

The process of valuing commercial real estate can be quite complicated. Fortunately, there are a few approaches to try. It is important to assess the value of commercial real estate, as the purchase and sale of real estate largely depends on this value. To help you estimate and evaluate your business property, we`ve put together the different approaches and terminologies you need. These are the commonly used approaches to determining the fair value of commercial real estate. In our mediation work, we see first-hand the effects of leases on the sale price and transferability of businesses. In my experience, most companies rent out their premises, and entrepreneurs who sign leases with their exit strategy in mind tend to get more successful exits. This article covers some of the fundamental leasing issues that affect goodwill and portability. .