Commercial Lease Lawyer in Montreal, Quebec

Amar Legal Inc. is a Montréal law firm that reviews, drafts and negotiates commercial leases for tenants and landlords across Quebec. Our real estate lawyers help businesses opening a first or new location, landlords leasing out a building, and companies relocating, renegotiating or leaving a lease. We also handle offers to lease, personal guarantees, lease assignments and sale-leaseback transactions, so the deal you sign matches the deal you agreed to.

Commercial lease review before you sign

A commercial lease usually runs five to ten years, and the cost of a bad clause adds up every month. Before you sign, we go through the full document with you and flag what matters: total occupancy cost (base rent, additional rent, taxes and operating costs), the term and renewal options, who pays for repairs and improvements, use and exclusivity clauses, and what happens if you need to leave early. You get a clear summary of the risks and the changes worth asking for.

Representing tenants opening or expanding to a new location

Whether it is your first storefront or your fifth location, we represent tenants from the first draft to the keys. We look at fit-out allowances, rent-free periods, delivery dates, signage, parking and exclusivity, and we make sure the lease leaves room for your business to grow, through renewal options, expansion rights or the right to assign the lease if you sell.

Drafting commercial leases for landlords

For building owners and real estate investors, we draft leases that protect the property and the income it produces. That includes clear rules on additional rent and operating cost recovery, maintenance and repairs, insurance, default and remedies, security deposits and guarantees. We can prepare a standard lease for your building or adapt one for a specific tenant.

Negotiating rent, renewal and exit clauses

Most of a lease's value is decided in a few clauses. We negotiate base rent and escalations, how additional rent is calculated and capped, renewal terms and how renewal rent is set, early termination rights, and the conditions for leaving at the end of the term, including restoration of the premises. Our goal is a lease both sides can live with for the full term.

Leases for restaurants, hotels and retail spaces

Hospitality and retail leases come with their own issues. For restaurants, that means ventilation, grease traps, permits and liquor licensing timelines. For retail, it means exclusivity, co-tenancy, opening hours and percentage rent. Hotel operators need agreements that fit the way the property actually runs. Our firm works with hotel operators and real estate investors, and we build these points into the lease from the start.

Offers to lease and letters of intent

An offer to lease or letter of intent is often treated as a formality, but it can set the key terms before the lease is ever drafted, and some parts may be binding. We review or draft the offer so that rent, term, inducements, landlord's work and conditions are settled correctly at this stage, when it is still easy to change them.

Personal guarantees and indemnities

Landlords often ask a business owner to personally guarantee a commercial lease. We explain what you would be signing, then negotiate limits where possible: a cap on the amount, a time limit, or a release once the business meets certain conditions. For landlords, we draft guarantees that will hold up when they are needed.

Getting out of or renegotiating a commercial lease

Businesses change. If the space no longer fits, we review your lease for termination rights, assignment and sublease options, and the landlord's obligations. We then help you negotiate an exit, a surrender of the lease, reduced space or new terms, with the aim of limiting your exposure and avoiding a dispute.

Lease assignments and sale-leaseback transactions

When a business is sold or restructured, its lease often has to be assigned. We handle landlord consent, assignment agreements, and the release or continuation of the original tenant and guarantors. We also act on sale-leaseback transactions, where an owner sells its property and leases it back, structuring the sale and the new lease together so the terms work for both buyer and seller.

Commercial leasing under Quebec law

Commercial leases in Quebec are governed by the Civil Code of Québec, not by the common law rules used in the rest of Canada. Many of the protections that apply to residential tenants do not apply to commercial premises, so the written lease does most of the work. That makes careful drafting and review especially important.

Language is another Quebec-specific point. The Charter of the French Language sets rules for the language of contracts, including standard-form leases, and these rules were updated in recent years. We make sure your lease and related documents meet these requirements, and we can work on leases in English or French.

Why businesses choose Amar Legal

• Real estate and commercial focus. Founder Gabriel Amar (B.C.L./LL.B., McGill University; Quebec Bar, 2018) previously served as legal counsel and strategic advisor to one of the largest private real estate organizations in Canada.
• Commercial leasing experience on the team. Lawyers Kelsey Solomon and Nicoletta Saviolidis (Quebec Bar, 2021) advise on commercial leasing, acquisitions, dispositions and real estate financing.
• Who we work with. Start-ups, entrepreneurs, small and mid-sized businesses, real estate investors, hotel operators and family offices.
• Quick and reachable. We generally respond within one business day.

Frequently asked questions