The Metka Law Firm, P.A.

A commercial lease is not a residential lease with different numbers attached. Florida regulates residential rentals heavily, layering statute and municipal rules on top of nearly every landlord-tenant interaction. Commercial leases operate under a much lighter statutory framework. Most of what governs the relationship comes down to the contract itself, which means the terms a business owner negotiates, or fails to negotiate, carry enormous weight. The Building Blocks of a Commercial Lease Every commercial lease rests on a handful of core components. The term and any renewal rights set the timeline. Base rent establishes the floor, while annual increases determine how that number moves. Beyond base rent, many leases include triple net expenses and common area maintenance charges, both of which get classified as additional rent. Maintenance obligations, default provisions, and permitted use round out the structure, and personal guarantees deserve careful attention since they extend li...

Key Takeaways Commercial leases are governed almost entirely by contract, not by the heavy tenant protections found in Florida residential lease law, so what is written in the document is what matters most. Lease structure changes everything. Understanding the difference between net, triple net, gross, and modified gross leases directly affects how predictable your monthly costs will be. Personal guarantees, early termination clauses, CAM caps, and HVAC warranties are commonly left on the negotiating table. Tenants who know to ask for them often secure meaningful protection. Renewal options and exclusivity clauses are easy to overlook at signing but can have major financial consequences years later. In competitive Central Florida corridors, landlords often hold significant leverage, making it even more important for tenants to understand exactly what they are agreeing to before they sign. Why Commercial Leases Catch So Many People Off Guard If you are a business owner preparin...

Commercial leases operate by their own rules, and getting them wrong costs real money. Chelsea Metka breaks down what separates a commercial lease from residential rentals, why Florida statute leaves most of the negotiating power to the parties themselves, and where landlords and tenants most often trip up before they ever sign.   The conversation covers triple net versus gross lease structures, what actually falls under CAM charges, and why an option to purchase differs sharply from a right of first refusal. Chelsea also walks through real situations from her practice, including a landlord who lost negotiating leverage simply because a lease was missing one key clause. Anyone eyeing space along Central Florida’s busiest commercial corridors will walk away with a clearer sense of what to ask for, and what to put in writing before signing anything. In this episode, you will hear: Core differences between commercial and residential leases under Florida law Anatomy of a ...

Most buyers entering their first commercial transaction assume the process works like a residential closing, just with bigger numbers. It does not. The rules, the timeline, the documents, and the risks are categorically different, and the gap between what buyers expect and what actually happens is where deals fall apart. The Timeline Is Longer Than You Think Commercial closings regularly run 45 to 120 days, and some stretch further. That timeline exists because due diligence in a commercial deal covers far more ground than a home inspection. Buyers reviewing vacant land need environmental phase one reports, and if those flag concerns like the presence of gopher tortoises, a phase two follows. Rezoning applications move on the municipality’s schedule, not the buyer’s. Each item stacks on top of the last, and buyers who budget their time based on residential experience tend to get caught off guard. Due Diligence Means More Than an Inspection In a commercial transaction, th...

Commercial real estate closes on a different clock, with a different rulebook, and a lot more moving parts. In this episode, Chelsea Metka sits down with Eileen O’Hara, Metka Law Firm’s firm administrator, who sees every transaction from the inside out, to answer the questions buyers, sellers, agents, and lenders ask most. Together they walk through what separates commercial closings from residential ones, why timelines can stretch to 120 days or longer, and how issues like zoning, environmental phases, and entity structure can reshape a deal.   Chelsea breaks down each stage from letter of intent through post-closing, covering due diligence, financing contingencies, appraisals, title, and insurance. If a commercial purchase or sale is on the horizon, this episode is the clearest map available before signing anything. In this episode, you will hear: Why commercial closings are fundamentally more complex than residential transactions The letter of intent, contra...

Most buyers assume closing ends when the ink dries. It doesn’t. The moment everyone signs, a detailed post-closing process begins: checks are issued, wires are initiated and verbally verified, and original documents are scanned at high quality before being uploaded for e-recording with the county. Depending on the county, recording can happen the same day or take a day or two. Until that deed is recorded, the transaction lives in what attorneys call the gap period. Cash vs. Financed Closings The difference in speed is significant. A financed transaction needs lender authorization before anything else moves. The lender reviews the primary loan documents, including the note, the deed, and the closing disclosure, before giving approval to disburse. That process, even under the best conditions, takes roughly two weeks. A true cash transaction, with no lender involved, can close in three days. If speed matters to a buyer, the financing structure matters just as much as the offer pric...