Commercial lease litigation
A lease dispute can threaten possession, cash flow, and the business at once.
Florida commercial lease disputes require close review of rent, defaults, notices, use restrictions, repairs, options, guaranties, and the parties' course of performance.
Read the whole lease package
Review the lease, amendments, exhibits, guaranties, estoppels, assignments, rules, notices, payment history, and communications. A clause cannot be evaluated reliably without the defined terms and related provisions.
- Default and cure
- Rent and operating expenses
- Use and exclusivity
- Repairs, maintenance, and casualty
- Renewal, assignment, and guaranty
Separate legal posture from business leverage
A landlord may need rent, possession, compliance, or a durable replacement tenant. A tenant may need continuity, time, repairs, assignment rights, or an orderly exit. Litigation strategy should account for the operating business and property plan.
Control notices and evidence
Delivery method, timing, content, payment records, inspections, photographs, contractor records, and communications can affect the dispute. Informal negotiations should not obscure formal deadlines or waiver concerns.
Palm Beach and Broward context
Real-property disputes in Palm Beach County generally proceed within Florida’s Fifteenth Judicial Circuit; Broward County matters generally proceed within the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit. The correct courthouse, division, venue, filing route, and requested relief depend on the parties, property, amount in controversy, existing case posture, and governing documents.
County official records can help establish the recorded chronology, but an index entry or recorded instrument is not a complete title opinion. Current clerk instructions, local administrative requirements, judicial procedures, and the complete transaction record should be checked before a filing or deadline decision.
- Palm Beach County property and court records
- Broward County property and court records
- Current circuit and clerk procedures
- Transaction-specific deadlines and remedies
Frequently asked questions
Questions clients often ask
Are commercial tenants protected by the same rules as residential tenants?
Commercial leases operate under a different contractual and statutory setting. The lease language and business context are especially important.
Can a landlord lock out a commercial tenant?
Self-help and possession decisions carry significant risk and require review of the lease, Florida law, notices, and current case posture.
Does accepting rent waive a default?
Acceptance may affect particular arguments depending on timing, reservation language, the lease, and conduct; it should not be assumed either way.
Next step
Schedule a case review
Begin with a brief, non-confidential conflicts and availability review. Do not send documents or confidential facts until the firm provides a secure, conflicts-cleared channel.