Shopping Center- fire exit signs

[Michelle R.]

We have purchased a shopping center with 20+ tenants. They are on NNN leases. The leases do not specify landlord has to handle fire exit batteries, bulbs, etc. The leases actually say the tenant is responsible for keeping the units up to fire code.

I am wondering if this something customary for a landlord to handle, in a NNN shopping center. The tenants are certainly used to the previous landlord taking care of this. However, as it's not a requirement, we were looking to be rid of such responsibilities in order to allocate CAM toward needed repairs for the shopping center, instead of something that could be an operating expense of the tenants.

[Jessica Zolotorofe]

Hi @Michelle R. If there is no provision in the lease requiring it, then you don't have to do it, but if you have such a big center you probably have a handyman that can take care of them and not have an issue with the tenants. Just pass it through to them in CAM expenses. I'm sure that's permitted if you handle. Any operating expenses are. Is there a cap on their CAM, is that the problem?