Are you looking for a commercial real estate lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, FL?
At Loshak Law PLLC, we are trusted commercial real estate counsel for business owners throughout Fort Lauderdale.
If your business is buying or leasing commercial space in Fort Lauderdale, the documents you sign will determine your costs and how you use the property for years. Our Fort Lauderdale, FL commercial real estate lawyer negotiates those documents for you and closes the transaction with the lender, title insurer, and other parties.
Loshak Law PLLC represents buyers, sellers, landlords, tenants, and borrowers in commercial matters across Broward County. Our founder advises national and international companies on real estate and business transactions. Contact us to schedule a consultation.
Commercial Real Estate Lawyer Fort Lauderdale, FL
A commercial real estate attorney handles the legal work on property used for business or investment: office buildings, retail centers, warehouses, restaurants, and multifamily properties. That work includes letters of intent, purchase agreements, leases, financing documents, and the due diligence that tests whether a property can support the intended use.
The Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Sunrise metropolitan division accounted for 31 percent of nonfarm jobs in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach area, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The full area had about 3.0 million jobs in April 2025. Those employers occupy leased and owned space across Broward County, and each lease or acquisition carries its own negotiated terms.
Types of Commercial Real Estate Cases We Handle in Fort Lauderdale
Commercial work in Fort Lauderdale involves owners, investors, lenders, and operating businesses, and each has different priorities in the same transaction. Our commercial real estate attorneys handle the matters below.
- Acquisitions and dispositions. We represent buyers and sellers of office, retail, industrial, and mixed-use properties from the letter of intent through closing. A buyer can acquire a business that owns its building through an asset or stock purchase. That choice determines whether title and leases transfer by deed and assignment or remain with the company.
- Commercial leases. We draft leases for landlords and review them for tenants, including rent escalations, operating expense pass-throughs, repair obligations, assignment rights, and renewal options. Careful contract negotiation at the lease stage decides how the parties resolve disputes years later.
- Restaurant and hospitality space. A restaurant or bar lease usually depends on the tenant getting permits and, if it will serve alcohol, a state license. We tie the lease contingencies to Florida liquor licensing requirements so the tenant does not owe rent on space it cannot use.
- Ownership entities. Many investors hold commercial property in a limited liability company. We prepare the entity documents, including an LLC operating agreement that addresses capital contributions, management, and what happens if an owner wants to sell.
- Land use and zoning. A business can operate only where the zoning allows its use. We confirm the zoning before the purchase or lease is binding and pursue approvals when the intended use requires them.
- Title insurance. Commercial policies carry more exceptions than residential policies and often require endorsements for access, contiguity, and zoning. We review the commitment against the survey and negotiate the endorsements the lender and buyer need.
- Real estate closings. Commercial closings involve loan documents, tenant estoppel certificates, lease assignments, and entity authority documents. Local and national lenders have approved Loshak Law PLLC to close commercial loans.
- Condemnation and road projects. Road widening and public projects can take part of a commercial parcel, including parking or access. We represent owners in eminent domain matters and evaluate how a partial taking affects the remaining property and its leases.
- Commercial disputes. Lease defaults, failed purchases, and disagreements over deposits or reconciliations of operating expenses often resolve through negotiation, and some proceed to litigation. Where parties relied on a letter of intent that never became a contract, claims based on promissory estoppel may be available.
Why Choose Loshak Law PLLC as My Commercial Real Estate Lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, FL?
Lease and Acquisition Terms Read as Business Terms
Rent, operating expense caps, assignment rights, and purchase price adjustments are business terms first and legal terms second. Brandon F. Loshak holds a finance degree and worked in oil, gas, and mineral acquisitions before practicing law. He has advised national and international companies on entity formation, licensing, asset sales, real estate transactions, and mergers and acquisitions. Commercial clients receive that business perspective from a real estate lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, FL whose practice also covers corporate transactions. Transactions closed through the firm total millions of dollars across commercial and residential property.
Brandon F. Loshak, Founding Attorney
Mr. Loshak practiced at one of the country’s largest law firms before founding Loshak Law PLLC. He is admitted in Florida and Texas, earned his J.D. at St. Thomas University School of Law, and is a member of the American Bar Association and the Broward County Bar Association. Martindale-Hubbell rates him AV Preeminent, the directory’s highest rating for legal ability and ethical standards.
Understanding Commercial Real Estate Cases
What Are Important Aspects of a Commercial Real Estate Case?
Businesses negotiate commercial transactions with each other, and Florida law leaves most terms to the contract.
- Letters of intent: the letter should state which provisions bind the parties, such as confidentiality or exclusivity, and which do not.
- Due diligence period: the buyer reviews title, survey, environmental reports, leases, and service contracts during a fixed window. The right to terminate usually ends when that window closes.
- Tenant estoppels and SNDAs: estoppel certificates confirm each tenant’s rent and claims, and subordination agreements set the priority between the lease and the lender’s mortgage.
- Construction defects: under Florida’s limitations chapter, an owner generally must file a claim for defective design or construction within four years of the certificate of occupancy. For hidden defects, the period starts at discovery, but the outer limit is seven years.
Commercial Lease Structures and Purchase Documents
The structure of a lease determines which costs the tenant pays in addition to base rent.
- Gross lease: the landlord pays taxes, insurance, and maintenance out of the rent.
- Modified gross lease: the parties divide expenses by agreement.
- Triple-net lease: the tenant pays its share of taxes, insurance, and common area maintenance.
- Percentage lease: common in retail, rent includes a share of the tenant’s sales.
- Ground lease: the tenant leases land and builds or owns the improvements for a long term.
- Purchase and sale agreement: the contract that sets price, deposits, due diligence, representations, and closing conditions for an acquisition.
What Is The Commercial Real Estate Case Timeline?
A commercial acquisition generally begins with a letter of intent that outlines price, deposit, and the length of the due diligence period. The purchase and sale agreement follows, often after several rounds of revisions.
Due diligence starts once both parties sign the agreement. We order title work and a survey and request tenant estoppels. The buyer also commissions a Phase I environmental site assessment. Leased properties also require a review of every existing lease and the rent roll.
The lender works on the loan at the same time. It issues a commitment letter and sends the loan documents. We gather the borrower’s company records and the title endorsements the lender requires.
At closing, the parties sign the deed and loan documents. The lender releases the funds, and the seller assigns the leases to the buyer. Tenant notices and service contract assignments follow in the first weeks of ownership.
What Should You Bring to Your Commercial Real Estate Consultation?
These documents allow us to evaluate the transaction at the first meeting.
- The letter of intent or term sheet
- The draft purchase agreement or lease
- The rent roll and existing leases, for an income-producing property
- Any title commitment, survey, or environmental report already obtained
- Organizational documents for the entity that will own or lease the property
At the consultation, we identify the provisions with the greatest financial effect on your business and the order in which to negotiate them.
Fort Lauderdale Business and Environmental Resources for Commercial Property
A business that occupies space in the city needs a local business tax receipt before it opens. The city’s application includes a zoning review of the location.
Environmental history matters on commercial parcels. Broward County’s Environmental Assessment and Remediation Section regulates most of the more than 1,000 contaminated sites in the county, including petroleum, dry cleaning solvent, and brownfield sites. The EPA Region 4 brownfields program administers federal assistance for brownfield redevelopment in Florida.
Before closing with a company on the other side of a transaction, we confirm its status and officers in Florida Division of Corporations records.
Reach Out to Loshak Law PLLC to Schedule a Consultation
Lease and purchase terms are easiest to change in the first drafts, before either side has relied on them. Loshak Law PLLC represents owners, investors, and tenants throughout Broward County at that stage and through closing. Contact us to schedule a consultation with our Fort Lauderdale commercial real estate lawyer.
