Author: Katie Miller
Lease assignments can run smoothly, or they can be frustrating and costly processes for landlords, tenants and assignees.
铺面的租约转让可能很顺利，也可能令业主，租户和受让人感到棘手，并且价格不菲。
So how can you make your life easier?
那怎么才能让这个过程较为顺利呢？
Consider these tips for a smoother lease assignment process:
以下的建议可能有有所帮助：
Tip 1: Read the assignment clauses of the lease carefully
建议1：仔细阅读租约中的转让条款
This one sounds obvious – but it is an important starting point that tenants sometimes miss. If a tenant is considering seeking the landlord’s consent to an assignment of the lease, read the clauses in the lease about assignments carefully.
这好像是不言而喻的，然而这是被很多租户常常错过的重要的一步。如果租户正在考虑征求业主同意以转让租约，请一定仔细阅读租约里面有关转让的条款。
The assignment clause often sets out:
转让条款通常对以下事项进行了规定：
- a process for obtaining the landlord’s consent to an assignment, which may include a specific minimum timeframe that the landlord will need, in order to consider the tenant’s application
- 获得业主同意以进行转让的过程，这可能包括业主需要的考虑租户申请的特定最短期限
- the information the tenant needs to provide to the landlord about the proposed assignee. For example, the lease may require the assignee to compile statements of assets and liabilities (prepared by the assignee or the assignee’s accountant), business references, personal references etc
- 租户需要向业主提供的有关拟定受让人的信息。例如，租约可能需要受让人编制资产和负债报表（由受让人或其会计师准备），业务推荐人，个人推荐人等
- the criteria a proposed assignee needs to meet before the landlord will consent to the assignment. For example, the lease may provide:
- 业主同意转让前拟定受让人需要满足的条件。例如，租约可能规定：
- that the proposed assignee must have equal or greater financial means as compared to the existing tenant. This type of clause is often included to give landlords comfort that an assignee will have similar capacity to meet the financial and other obligations under the lease as the tenant
- 拟定受让人一定要有较现有租户同等或更强的财务能力。这类的条款是为了让业主放心受让人有类似的能力以满足租约中作为租户应满足的财务及其他方面的义务
- the assignee must only use the premises for the permitted use listed in the lease. So if the permitted use listed in the lease is a pizza shop, and the assignee intends to use it as a nail salon, the proposed assignment will not meet the lease requirements.
- 受让人必须只能按租约中列出的受许可的使用权限来使用经营场所。所以如果租约中列出的受许可的使用权限是披萨店，而受让人想开一家美甲店，那拟定的转让则不能满足租赁要求。
- the form of security for performance the assignee will need to provide, if consent to the assignment is given. For example, a lease may require:
- 如果转让获得准许，受让人需要提供的经营保障表格。例如，租约可能要求：
- a bank guarantee from the assignee
- 受让人的银行担保
- a security deposit from the assignee
- 受让人支付的担保金
- personal guarantees from individuals related to the assignee, such as the directors of the assignee if the assignee is a company; and/or
- 与受让人有关的个人的个人担保，例如如果受让人是一家公司，则可能是受让公司的董事
- a guarantee by a company related to the assignee, such as the parent company of the assignee.
- 与受让人有关的公司的担保，如受让公司的母公司
As a preliminary step, tenants should ask the assignee to commence compiling the financial information and references required under the lease assignment clause.
初步阶段，租户应要求受让人开始租约转让条款所要求的编制财务信息及参考。
Tip 2: Ask about the landlord’s assignment application process early
建议2：尽早咨询业主的转让申请流程
Experienced landlords often have an application form to complete and an internal application process for proposed lease assignments. Tenants should ask the landlord (or the landlord’s property manager) about what the landlord’s application process involves, and whether the landlord has an application form that needs to be completed. The application form will often also set out the information the landlord needs from the assignee, in order to process the application.
有经验的业主常常备有一份申请表以及用于审理拟定租约转让的内部申请流程。租户应该向业主（或业主的物业管理人）咨询有关业主的申请流程以及业主是否备有需要完成的申请表。申请表常常还列出业主审理申请时需要从受让人处了解的信息。
Usually leases provide that tenants are responsible for the landlord’s costs of a proposed assignment, whether or not the assignment proceeds. Tenants may want to enquire about the landlord’s estimated costs (including the landlord’s legal fees), when asking about the landlord’s application process.
通常租约规定了租户有责任支付业主在拟定转让过程中的支出，无论转让是否成功。在咨询业主的申请流程时，租户可能还需要咨询业主的费用（包括业主的律师费）。
Experienced landlords often request a meeting with the proposed assignee before any formal application for consent to assignment is processed.
有经验的业主常常要求与拟定受让人在正式申请许可转让前进行会面。
Tip 3: Consider any Retail Shop Leases Act 1994 (Qld) disclosure obligations before formally seeking the landlord’s consent
建议3：在征求业主许可前考虑《昆士兰州1994年零售铺面租赁法案》中的披露义务
If the lease is a retail shop lease under the Retail Shop Leases Act 1994 (Qld), the tenant has an obligation to give the assignee a disclosure statement and a copy of the current lease (assignor disclosure statement), at least 7 days before the earlier of:
如果租约是受《昆士兰州1994年零售铺面租赁法案》管辖的零售商店租约，租户有义务向受让人出具披露说明以及一份现有的租约（让与人披露说明），在此七天后才能进行以下事项：
- if the assignment of the lease relates to the sale of the tenant’s business to the assignee, the day the assignee enters into the business sale agreement; and
- 如果租约转让是有关租户向受让人出售生意，受让人签署商业销售合同；
- the day the landlord is asked to consent to the assignment.[i]
- 向业主请求转让许可[i]
The assignee also has an obligation to give an assignee disclosure statement to the tenant, before the landlord is asked to consent to the assignment.[ii]
受让人在业主被请求许可转让前还有义务向租户出具受让人披露说明[ii]
When asking the landlord to consent to the assignment, the tenant must give a copy of the assignor disclosure statement to the landlord.[iii]
请求业主许可转让时，租户必须向业主出具一份让与人披露说明。[iii]
If a tenant is unsure about whether or not the existing lease is a retail shop lease under the Retail Shop Leases Act 1994 (Qld), the tenant should seek legal advice early.
如果租户不确定现有租约是否为受《昆士兰州1994年零售铺面租赁法案》管辖的零售商铺租约，则需要尽早寻求法律意见。
Tip 4: Formally ask for the landlord’s consent to the proposed assignment
建议4：正式向业主请求许可拟定转让
The tenant should formally seek the landlord’s consent to the proposed assignment. The request should be made in the way the lease requires, which is usually in writing, addressed to the landlord or the landlord’s property manager.
租户需正式向业主征得对拟定转让的许可。转让应按照租约所要求的方式进行，一般以书面形式，递交给业主或其物业管理人。
To ensure a streamlined process, this formal request for consent to assignment should attach:
为保证流程的标准化，这一转让许可的正式请求应该附上：
- the completed landlord’s assignment application form mentioned in Tip 2 (if applicable)
- 建议2中提到的填写完成的业主的转让申请表（如果适用）
- the information about the assignee and references mentioned in Tip 1 and Tip 2
- 建议1和建议2中提到的有关受让人及参考的信息
- if the lease is a retail shop lease under the Retail Shop Leases Act 1994 (Qld), copies of the disclosure statements mentioned in Tip 3
- 如果租约是受《昆士兰州1994年零售铺面租赁法案》管辖的零售商铺租约，建议3中提到的披露说明的副本
- any other information the lease requires for a proposed assignment.
- 租约要求的拟定转让所应出具的任何其他信息
Tip 5: Allow time for the landlord to consider the application
建议5：业主有时间考虑申请
Tenants often enter into business sale agreements with a proposed assignee that do not factor in sufficient time for seeking and obtaining the landlord’s consent to the assignment.
租户通常在没有考虑到留出足够时间征求并获得业主对转让的许可这一因素时就与拟定受让人签订了商业销售合同。
Leases often include clauses that say the landlord must be allowed a certain number of days to consider an assignment application, once the tenant and assignee have provided all information required to process the application. Tenants should factor this timeframe into any business sale contract with the assignee.
租约通常包括一些条款说明租客和受让人提供了所有审理申请所需的信息之后业主需要的考虑转让申请的天数。租客需要将这一时段纳入对与受让人签署商业销售合同的考虑。
If the lease is a retail shop lease under the Retail Shop Leases Act 1994 (Qld), and if the landlord has not decided the application for consent to assignment within one month after the application was made and full particulars of the proposed assignment were given to the landlord, a retail tenancy dispute exists under the Retail Shop Leases Act 1994 (Qld). In those circumstances, either party may apply to the Queensland Civil and Administration Tribunal for resolution of the dispute.
如果租约是受《昆士兰州1994年零售铺面租赁法案》管辖的零售商铺租约，且如果在申请递交且拟定转让的所有细节都已递交予业主一个月后，业主还没有对申请做出决定，根据《昆士兰州1994年零售铺面租赁法案》，这将构成零售商铺租约纠纷。在此情况下，双方中任何一方均可向昆士兰州民事行政仲裁庭（Queensland Civil and Administration Tribunal）申请解决纠纷。
Tip 6: If a retail shop lease, allow sufficient time for further disclosure under the Retail Shop Leases Act 1994 (Qld)
建议6：如果是零售商铺租约，请按《昆士兰州1994年零售铺面租赁法案》要求留出充足时间以备进一步披露
If the landlord decides that it will consent to the assignment, and the lease is a retail shop lease under the Retail Shop Leases Act 1994 (Qld), there are additional disclosure obligations to comply with before the assignment of lease is entered into. Namely:
如果业主决定同意转让，而租约是受《昆士兰州1994年零售铺面租赁法案》管辖的零售商铺租约，在签署租约转让前还有其他披露义务需要遵循，即：
- at least seven days before the assignment is entered into, the landlord must give the assignee a disclosure statement and a copy of the lease;[iv] and
- 在转让签署的七天前，业主必须向受让人出具披露说明以及一份租约副本；[iv]
- the assignee must give a disclosure statement to the landlord[v]
- 受让人必须向业主出具披露说明[v]
Tip 7: The assignee should arrange the lease security and insurances early
建议7：受让人应该尽早安排租约担保及保险
Once the landlord has confirmed it will consent to the assignment (which is often subject to certain conditions), the landlord or its lawyers will then usually prepare a draft deed of consent to assignment of the lease.
一旦业主确定将同意转让（一般需满足一定条件），业主或其律师通常将准备租约转让的同意书。
The draft deed will set out the conditions precedent to the landlord’s consent. The conditions precedent often include:
同意书的初稿将列出业主同意的先决条件，通常包括：
- the assignee providing its security for performance required under the lease, such as a bank guarantee or security deposit
受让人提供租约要求的经营担保，如银行担保或担保金
If a bank guarantee is required under the lease, assignees should approach their bank early. Experienced landlords often have information sheets about what the bank guarantee needs to include. Assignees should obtain that information and provide it to the assignee’s bank. A handy tip is to ask the bank for a draft of the bank guarantee first, and provide the draft to the landlord for approval
如果租约要求银行担保，受让人需要尽早与银行联系。有经验的业主常常备有银行担保应该纳入的信息的清单。受让人应该获取该信息并提供给银行。一个窍门便是先向银行索要银行担保的初稿，然后递交给业主以寻求获准。
Obtaining a bank guarantee can take days or weeks, depending on the assignee’s financial position and its arrangements with its bank. Assignees should factor their bank’s timeframes into the assignment process
获取银行担保可能需要数天或数星期，取决于受让人的财务状况及其与银行的合作方式。受让人应将银行所需的时间纳入对转让程序的考虑。
- the assignee providing insurance certificates of currency. Assignees should check the lease insurance requirements carefully. Experienced landlords often have information sheets about what the insurance certificates need to cover. Assignees should obtain that information, and provide it to their insurer. This will assist in getting the correct insurances and obtaining certificates of currency that comply with the lease requirements.
受让人提供货币保险凭证。受让人应当仔细检查租约的保险要求。有经验的业主常常备有保险凭证需包含的信息的清单。受让人需获取该信息，并提交给承保人。这将有助于获得所要求的保险以及获得符合租约要求的现金凭证。
Failure by the tenant and assignee to satisfy each of the conditions precedent in the deed of consent to assignment could mean that the landlord’s consent to the assignment has not been obtained. This could hold up settlement of the sale of the business by the tenant to the assignee, or cause the business sale to fall over.
租客及受让人如不能满足以上任何一项先决条件都可能意味着不能获得业主的同意。这可能让租客向受让人的商业销售的交割受阻，甚至失败。
Avoid some of the headaches associated with lease assignments by following the above tips!
希望以上建议有助您避免有关租约转让的麻烦！
Author: Katie Miller
[i] Section 22B(1) Retail Shop Leases Act 1994 (Qld) 《昆士兰州1994年零售铺面租赁法案》第22B(1)条
[ii] Section 22B(2) Retail Shop Leases Act 1994 (Qld) 《昆士兰州1994年零售铺面租赁法案》第22B(2)条
[iii] Section 22B(3) Retail Shop Leases Act 1994 (Qld) 《昆士兰州1994年零售铺面租赁法案》第22B(3) 条
[iv] Section 22C(1) Retail Shop Leases Act 1994 (Qld) 《昆士兰州1994年零售铺面租赁法案》第22C(1) 条
[v] Section 22C(3) Retail Shop Leases Act 1994 (Qld) 《昆士兰州1994年零售铺面租赁法案》第22C(3) 条
Contacts:
Brisbane
Katie Miller, Partner
T: +61 7 3135 0606
E: katie.miller@holdingredlich.com
Melbourne
Richard Skopal
T: +61 3 9321 9866
E: richard.skopal@holdingredlich.com
Sydney
Lindsay McGregor
T: +61 2 8083 0459
E: lindsay.mcgregor@holdingredlich.com
Disclaimer
The information in this publication is of a general nature and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Although we endeavour to provide accurate and timely information, we do not guarantee that the information in this newsletter is accurate at the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future.
