Q: Two tenants at the shopping center I own are currently in a dispute about who has the right to sell a certain product. A toy store tenant signed a lease with an exclusive use clause that gives it the right to be the only tenant in the center that sells toys. A variety store signed a lease that allows it to sell various items for entertainment. It was made aware at the time of the lease signing that the toy store h...

What are a landlord’s liability to tenants when it reopens part of the property after a disaster but still has to keep parts of the common areas closed for a while to fix the damage? That timely question is at the center of a recent case.

Q: If a major disaster that’s totally unforeseen and beyond anybody’s control, like a hurricane or perhaps the worldwide outbreak of a virulent virus, interferes with a tenant’s ability to use leased property for its intended business purpose, does the tenant still have to pay rent?