under a sublease arrangement, the primary tenant essentially takes over many of the responsibilities of the landlord with respect to the subleased space — such as collecting rent and fielding complaints — and is responsible for ensuring that the subtenant meets their lease obligations. another option is “assignment” of the lease to a new tenant.

while this may be true, the best way to get the most beneficial lease for you and your business is to negotiate the terms of the lease. this is certainly an area of the lease you will want to negotiate if you spent the time and money on ceiling lights, certain affixed furniture, and the like. the ability to be seen and recognized is a premium element in commercial leasing, and a relocation right can take that benefit away from you in the blink of an eye. the reason for this prevention is because another tenant in the shopping center—maybe a smoothie shop—negotiated such a clause in its lease in order to limit competition.

whether you’re a new merchant renting your very first physical shop or you’re a multi-store retailer who’s looking to expand to even more locations, your retail space lease will be one of the most important things you set up. all this to say, when it comes to a retail lease, there are a lot of little things that can be negotiated and requested to make the lease turn out in your favor. to negotiate from a place of strength, you should do it on more than one location at the same time. a method that may help you here is to negotiate future renewal options.