Commercial Real Estate Law in Illinois

In Itasca, Illinois, "commercial real estate" is any type of land or building which is used for a business, as opposed to residential, purpose.

The Itasca, Illinois laws governing commercial real estate differ significantly from the laws that cover residential and other types of real estate.

When renting or buying residential real estate, renters and buyers have substantial legal protections which often don't apply to commercial real estate.

These absent protections include rent control, and warranties of habitability, among others. The most basic protections, such as prohibiting sellers of real estate from lying about the property to the buyer, apply in any context, however.

Common Commercial Real Estate Law Issues in Itasca, Illinois

Financing: The majority of small business owners in Itasca, Illinois probably can't afford to buy much real estate outright, with cash paid up front, so most small business purchase commercial real estate with a mortgage. A mortgage is a loan taken out for the purpose of buying real estate, using that real estate as collateral for the loan.

Disclosure of Defects: Sellers of real estate have an obligation to inform prospective buyers of any defects present in the property, such as water damage and other structural problems. Basically, if the defect is significant enough that it might affect a reasonable buyer's decision on whether or not to purchase the property, and the seller knows about it, it must be disclosed. Failure to disclose such defects would give a buyer the right to sue the seller, and recover substantial damages, including the cost of repairing the defect, compensation for any injuries or illness caused by it, and the reduction in the property's value caused by the defect.

Duty to Inspect: Lest you believe that the duty to disclose defects relieves any duty of diligence on the part of the buyer, the law will not reward such lapses with a major cause of action. Buyers have a duty to conduct a reasonable inspection of the property before they buy it, typicallyy with a licensed building inspector. If the buyer fails to do this, they won't be able to recover any damages for defects which they could have discovered through a reasonable inspection.

Encumbrances: Encumbrances are defects of a different type: rather than physical defects, they are defects of title. In Itasca, Illinois, an encumbrance is an interest in a piece of real estate held by a third party, such as covenants or easements. An easement is a right held by someone to use the property of someone else for a specific purpose. For example, a person might have an easement on the land of another person, allowing them to cross the land to access a public road.

Can a Itasca, Illinois Attorney Help?

Because of the importance and potential complexity of the issues surrounding commercial real estate, it's almost always prudent that, before engaging in any real estate deal, you pursue the counsel of a good Itasca, Illinois real estate attorney.