A lease commencement date is when your rights and obligations start
Leases carry certain rights and obligations to meet. And when you enter into a lease, it’s important to understand exactly when those rights and obligations begin. Unfortunately, it can be confusing to figure it out, given the number of dates that can be listed in a lease. While each of these dates is important, it’s on the lease commencement date that you’ll officially be bound to the terms of the contract you signed.
Example:
Suppose you’ve recently signed a lease for a new rental property. Included in your lease are several dates, including the lease commencement date, rent commencement date, and move-in date.
The rent commencement date is when you’ll start paying rent and the move-in date is when you’ll physically move into the space. The lease commencement date could be the same as one or more of those dates, but it could also be entirely different, depending on the contract.
What’s important here?
When you sign a lease, it’s important to understand all of the dates, especially since they can all be different. It’s especially important to know when the lease commencement date is since it’s on that date that each party begins to enjoy the rights and bear the obligations of the lease. In other words, beginning on the lease commencement date, violating any of the lease terms could represent a breach of the contract, even if you haven’t taken possession of the underlying asset or made your first rent payment.
