Rant: Landlord raised my rent mid-lease at my shop on 6th Street

Last month my landlord told me rent was going up 15% even though I signed a two-year lease back in March. Has anyone else had luck fighting these surprise increases with the Amarillo small business association?

2 comments

2 Comments

nathan19310d ago

Is your lease actually a standard commercial lease or did you sign something from a template online? I had a buddy who owned a shop on Western and his lease had a clause that let the landlord adjust rent if property taxes went up, which was buried in the fine print. Your lease should spell out exactly when and how they can raise the rent, and a 15% jump mid-term sounds like a breach unless you agreed to something like a variable rate. Before going to the small business association, I'd pull out your signed lease document and look for any language about "rent adjustments" or "operating costs." The Amarillo small business association is helpful for mediation but they can't override what you already signed, so knowing your contract front to back is step one here.

dylanh9710d agoMost Upvoted

Nathan, you're right about checking the fine print. I once signed a lease that I thought was straightforward and ended up paying for "common area snow removal" in Amarillo - we got snow maybe twice that winter. Definitely pull that contract out and read it with fresh eyes before bringing in the association.