--- title: "\"Must Have\" Clauses in Leases" description: I represent a lot of commercial building owners in the north metro and surrounding areas. I never interject on pricing issues, but the legal issues are where I provide more value. --- [Dan's Desk](https://www.gallatin-law.com/blog/author/dan-gallatin) - [lawyer](https://www.gallatin-law.com/blog/tag/lawyer) - [hugo](https://www.gallatin-law.com/blog/tag/hugo) - [MN](https://www.gallatin-law.com/blog/tag/mn) - [law](https://www.gallatin-law.com/blog/tag/law) - [attorney](https://www.gallatin-law.com/blog/tag/attorney) - [legal](https://www.gallatin-law.com/blog/tag/legal) [Subscribe](https://www.gallatin-law.com/blog/must-have-clauses-in-leases#) 10/26/2017 # "Must Have" Clauses in Leases - - - - - [mailto:?subject=%22Must%20Have%22%20Clauses%20in%20Leases&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gallatin-law.com%2Fblog%2Fmust-have-clauses-in-leases](mailto:?subject=%22Must%20Have%22%20Clauses%20in%20Leases&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gallatin-law.com%2Fblog%2Fmust-have-clauses-in-leases) I represent a lot of commercial building owners in the north metro and surrounding areas. I never interject on pricing issues, but the legal issues are where I provide more value. There lately has been a rash of absconding tenants who have left landlords with tens of thousands of dollars of damage. Here are some clauses that can help landlords efficiently recover from this type of tenant: 1. **Venue provision**. Ensure any disputes related to the lease are to be heard in the county where the property is located. This keeps you, the landlord, from going to Minneapolis for a hearing when you and your property live in, say Stillwater or Hugo. 2. **Attorney fee and cost provision**. Have the leverage to get your attorney's fees and costs back if you have to start a suit. 3. **Excess damage clause**. Expressly identify that excessive damage, odors, and the like constitute additional, compensable amounts from the tenants. 4. **A service address**. Identify an address other than the subject property's address where the tenant can be served with papers. These four provisions are not wildly ingenious by any stretch. By including them in your lease they can save you substantial time and money. The material contained herein is provided for informational purposes only and is not legal advice, nor is it a substitute for obtaining legal advice from an attorney. Each situation is unique, and you should not act or rely on any information contained herein without seeking the advice of an experienced attorney. 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Born in St. Paul, Dan spent many of his formative years growing up there before moving to White Bear Lake. After graduating from White Bear Lake, Dan spent four glorious years at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, earning a degree in two majors. Dan worked as a Senior Investigator at the Minnesota Department of Commerce for several years after graduating from college. During his final years Dan attended William Mitchell College of Law while still working full-time. During this exhausting 3 ½ year period Dan honed his skills in becoming an efficient, to-the-point legal practitioner. While at Madison Dan met his wife, Tonya, and together they moved to Minnesota to plant their roots. Dan and Tonya have two amazing, unique children and reside in Hugo. ### CONNECT WITH ME - ## Related Posts [03/15/2017 Multiple Offers in Real Estate Transactions: Maximize, Don't Jeopardize The benefits of a hot real estate market nationally, and locally in Forest Lake and White Bear Lake and the surrounding towns are both big… Read Post ](https://www.gallatin-law.com/blog/multiple-offers-in-real-estate-transactions-maximize-dont-jeopardize) [03/20/2019 Minnesota Court of Appeals Enforces Employment Agreement In a notable win for the employers of Minnesota, the Court of Appeals just issued an opinion affirming an employer's summary judgment win against an… Read Post ](https://www.gallatin-law.com/blog/minnesota-court-of-appeals-enforces-employment-agreement) ### Subscribe Here! ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Dan Gallatin", "url" : "https://www.gallatin-law.com/blog/author/dan-gallatin" }, "dateModified" : "2020-08-21T22:18:56.779Z", "datePublished" : "2017-10-26T05:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "\"Must Have\" Clauses in Leases", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.gallatin-law.com/blog/must-have-clauses-in-leases", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.gallatin-law.com/hubfs/logos/Gallatin-Logo-654x84.png" }, "name" : "Gallatin Law, PLLC" } } ```