No Guarantee NY's Guaranty Law Survives Constitutional Scrutiny
December 01, 2024
After nearly four years of litigation, the Second Circuit held recently that a small commercial landlord lacked standing to seek declaratory relief against the City of New York challenging the Guaranty Law under the Contracts Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Landlord & Tenant Law
December 01, 2024
Tenant Who Stopped Paying Rent May Not Recover DamagesDoctrine of Emblements May Entitle Tenant to Collect Damages for Loss of CropsInsufficient Evidence to Support Use and Occupancy ClaimSuccessor Landlord Liable for Predecessor’s OverchargesGuaranty Law Did Not Protect Guarantor When Tenant Never Closed
Hospitality Performance Tests In the Real World
December 01, 2024
Hotel management agreements often contain language permitting a hotel owner to terminate if the hotel’s performance fails to meet certain financial metrics. This provision, colloquially referred to as the “performance test,” is touted as a form of protection for owners by providing a right to terminate (or to receive a “cure payment”) if the hotel underperforms. But the reality is performance tests are generally structured to make them difficult, if not impossible, to fail, leaving hotel owners without the financial protection they thought they bargained for — or worse.
The Risks of Office-to-Residential Conversions
December 01, 2024
Office-to-residential conversions present significant challenges to owners and developers that arise from the interrelationship among the regulatory regime, the legal restrictions and requirements of the site and the physical requirements of conversion; the resulting incremental cost of conversions mean that many potential conversions just do not pencil out.
High National Debt Is Bad for CRE
December 01, 2024
The federal debt is a huge number at $36 trillion. That has major implications for the government and the economy. Debt numbers this large automatically send out ripples the size of tsunamis. Some of them could wash over long-term Treasury yields and then flood the cost of commercial real estate capital.
Slight Decrease In Commercial Foreclosures Hints at Market Stabilization
November 01, 2024
While the commercial real estate market faced significant headwinds in 2024, recent data suggests that the tide may be turning. The combination of lower interest rates, a decline in foreclosures, and improving market conditions offers a glimmer of hope for property owners and investors alike.
Real Property Law
November 01, 2024
Scouting Organization's Adverse Possession Claim Against County Land Fails
Easement Not Subject to Termination Under RPAPL 1951
Doctrine of Emblements Might Sustain Former Tenant's Claim to Crops
Church Property Tax Exempt Because Town Did Not Establish Zoning Violation