What is a master lease in commercial real estate?
Henry Morales
Published Mar 19, 2026
A master lease is an agreement by which a Tenant leases a property a period of time from an Owner of a commercial property who may be inclined to relinquish control of the asset. The agreement provides the Tenant with the ability to then sub-lease portions of the property to other individual tenants.
Can you sell a master lease?
You are entitled to the property’s cash flow above the master lease payment, all future equity, tax benefits, and day-to-day management. Once you sell the property, every dollar over the lease agreement price is your profit.
What does master lease mean?
A master lease is a single lease that covers multiple properties leased from a landlord to a tenant. As a single lease, a master lease will not break out rents ascribed to individual properties.
What is master lease expense?
A master lease in real estate is an agreement where you lease an income-producing property as a single tenant and then sublease it to occupant tenants to get rental income. Under the master lease option, the owner of the property will have no other responsibilities for the property.
What is a ground lease in real estate?
A ground lease involves leasing land for a long-term period—typically for 50 to 99 years—to a tenant who constructs a building on the property. A 99-year lease is generally the longest possible lease term for a piece of real estate property.
What’s the difference between a lessee and lessor?
In a lease agreement, the lessor is defined as the party that receives payments in exchange for the usage of its asset or property. The lessee is the party that pays the lessor for the use of the asset or property.
What is a corporate lease?
Corporate Lease means a Lease for one or more residential units under which one entity will rent all such units from Borrower and will have the right to sublease such units to individual subtenants.
Is corporate housing expensive?
Typically, corporate housing will be more costly than renting an unfurnished apartment long-term. Also, the longer you stay, the less you’ll pay. Many corporate housing companies offer daily, weekly and monthly rates with the price decreasing as the length of stay increases.