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Commercial tenants usually receive fewer statutory protections than residential tenants. The written agreement carries exceptional weight.
Estimate total occupancy cost: additional rent, utilities, insurance, maintenance, repairs, taxes, permits, and improvements. The cheapest base rent is often not the cheapest premises.
Confirm zoning, building rules, permits, licences, exclusivity restrictions, and the lease's permitted-use wording before committing. A restaurant in a retail-zoned unit is a problem you buy, not discover.
Clarify plans, approvals, contractors, code upgrades, funding, delays, access, and when rent begins relative to possession and opening.
Identify responsibility for HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roof, structure, storefront, accessibility, and major capital replacements — in writing.
Think through growth, contraction, accessibility, staffing, delivery, customer traffic, renewal, relocation, and exit scenarios. The lease will outlast your current plan.
Do not treat the landlord's form as a formality. Allow time for legal, financial, technical, and operational review.