Commercial Real Estate Law in Oklahoma

Commercial Real Estate Law in Elk City, Oklahoma is any form of land or permanent structure which isn't utilized for residential or industrial purposes, and is instead used for a business involving the buying and selling of goods or services.

The Elk City, Oklahoma laws regulating 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.

Several of the protections that don't apply to commercial property include warranties of habitability, rent control, and warranties of quiet enjoyment. There are others, as well. The most general protections, nonetheless, apply to buyers of both residential and commercial real estate, including remedies for fraud and concealment of physical or title defects.

Common Commercial Real Estate Law Issues in Elk City, Oklahoma

Financing: The majority of small businesses in Elk City, Oklahoma can't afford to make large real estate purchases with the money they have in the bank. Still, buying real estate is sometimes imperative for a business' survival. This problem is sometimes remedied by taking out a mortgage; a loan used to buy property, with that same property being used to secure the loan.

Disclosure of Defects: Sellers of real estate have an requirement to inform prospective buyers of any defects present in the property, such as water damage and other structural problems. Essentially, 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.

Buyer's Duty to Inspect: usually, buyers of commercial real estate are expected to inspect the property before buying it. A failure to do so might prevent the buyer from prevailing in a lawsuit if he is injured by physical defects that an inspection would have revealed, and that the seller didn't know about.

Encumbrances: Encumbrances are defects of a different type: rather than physical defects, they are defects of title. In Elk City, Oklahoma, 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 instance, 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 Elk City, Oklahoma Attorney Help?

These issues can be very complicated, and most people consider such financially-weighty decisions to be very necessary. If you are one of those people, it's a smart move to contact an Elk City, Oklahoma real estate attorney if you are facing any of the issues discussed above.