Commercial lease, five clauses that move the cost
Personal guarantee, renewal terms, demolition clause, relocation clause, default trigger. Each one shifts the cost between landlord and tenant for the life of the lease.
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Read Before Sign
Every commercial document carries four to six clauses that change the deal. DRG Law reads those first, in writing, before the owner signs.
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Read before sign
Five clauses change every Ontario commercial lease: the personal guarantee, the renewal terms, the demolition clause, the relocation clause, and the default trigger. The same shape repeats across most commercial documents.
Every contract, lease, and shareholders' agreement carries a small number of clauses that change everything. The personal guarantee. The renewal trigger. The exit conditions. The decision rules. Reading them after the signature is a fix; reading them before is a decision. DRG Law reads before sign, in writing, with the changes that close the gap.
The decision
Which clauses matter most before signing?
The clauses below are the ones DRG Law looks at first on any commercial document. Each one carries the deal's real cost.
Shareholders' agreement, control and exit rules
Who decides on big questions. Whose approval is needed for share transfers. What happens when an owner wants out. The rules that hold when partners agree are easy to write; the rules that hold when they disagree are the ones that matter.
Commercial supply or services contract, the four written rules
Scope (what is in and what is out), price (how it changes), term (how it ends), and liability (who carries what risk if something goes wrong). Every commercial agreement is built on those four answers.
Employment contract, the after-end clauses
Termination rules, restrictive covenants (non-compete, non-solicit), confidentiality, and intellectual property assignment. The clauses that matter most are the ones that operate after the relationship ends.
How DRG Law writes it
How DRG Law reads a document
The review is short, scoped, and priced before it starts. The output is the document with changes marked and a short note naming what to ask the other side for.
Read first, mark up second
DRG Law reads the document the way the lawyer on the other side wrote it. The first pass names the structural decision the document is making. The second pass marks the changes that close the gap.
The note that goes back
A short note naming the main changes, the smaller ones, and the clauses that carry the most risk if left as written. The owner reads the note and uses it to talk to the other side, or asks DRG to send the redline directly.
Cost in writing before work starts
Short contracts come back within two business days. Long commercial agreements come back within three to five business days. The price is confirmed in writing when the file is taken.
Common questions
What owners ask about this decision
What should an Ontario owner read before signing a commercial lease?
Five clauses change every Ontario commercial lease: the personal guarantee, the renewal terms, the demolition clause, the relocation clause, and the default trigger. DRG Law reviews each clause against the owner's exit horizon before the offer goes back to the landlord.
How long does DRG Law take to review a contract?
A short contract of ten pages or fewer comes back within two business days. A long commercial agreement or lease comes back within three to five business days, depending on length. Tight timelines are accommodated where possible, with the turnaround confirmed in writing when the file is taken.
Does DRG Law mark up the contract, or only point out issues?
Both, on request. The standard output is the contract with changes shown directly, plus a short note naming the main changes, the smaller ones, and the clauses that carry the most risk if left as written.
What does a contract review cost?
The cost is by document type and length, confirmed in writing before the review starts. No file is opened before the cost is on paper.
Next step
Send the document before you sign
Reading the document after the signature is a fix. Reading it before is a decision. Send the contract, the lease, or the agreement, and Damaris reads it first.