Should I use the AIR CRE Commercial Leasing form of the CAR Commercial Leasing form? The lawyer answer is that they are similar but different! Most of the time the AIR form should be used, but both have pros and cons for landlords and tenants. See this attached...
Experienced Real Estate And Business Attorney
Contracts
Attorneys Fees Awarded on Tort Claims due to an overbroad attorney fee clause even on a dismissed case
While Code of Civil Procedure § 1717a bars attorneys fees if the cause of action is on a contract, look to Santisas v. Goodin (1998) 17 Cal.4th 599.In Santisas, attorney fees were awarded on a tort claim because the home purchase agreement attorney fee provision...
Counting Days and Loopholes in CAR Real Estate Purchase Agreement Forms
A common question is how to count the days referred to in the Real Estate Purchase Agreement and related CAR (Calif. Assoc. of Real Estate) forms. In October 2016 CAR published a concise article on this in their magazine. In essence the CAR attorneys confirmed that...
Liquidated Damages Clause → Is the Deposit Refundable to the Buyer?
Real Estate Purchase Agreements and Leases (e.g. CAR forms) include deposits may or may not be refundable. Liquidated damages must bear a reasonable relation to the anticipated damages incurred. (See Civil Code §§1670, 1671). For Residential transactions, if 3%...
Contracting to exclude “extrinsic evidence” is enforceable. ( Hot Rods, LLC v. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. (2015) 242 CA4th 1166
A written contract for the sale of real property included an integration clause stating that “no extrinsic evidence whatsoever may be introduced in any judicial proceedings involving this Agreement.” The referee who tried the case considered such evidence, finding for...