Residential leases are almost never notarized. Commercial leases, on the other hand, come across a notary’s table with some regularity — particularly for longer terms, larger spaces, or leases that will be recorded against the property itself.
Why commercial leases involve notarization more often
- Long-term leases that get recorded — leases running many years are sometimes recorded with the county to protect the tenant’s interest against a future sale of the property, and recorded documents generally need notarized signatures
- Personal guarantees — when a business owner personally guarantees a commercial lease (common for newer or smaller businesses without an established credit history), landlords frequently require that guarantee to be notarized
- Lease assignments and subleases, particularly when a business is being sold and the lease is transferring to a new operator
- Estoppel certificates, which confirm lease terms are accurate as part of a property sale or refinance and are often required to be notarized by the lender or buyer involved
Who typically needs to appear
Depending on the document, this can mean the business owner alone, the business owner plus a personal guarantor if that’s a different person, or representatives from both the landlord and tenant entities. Confirming exactly who needs to sign — and in what capacity, personal versus on behalf of a business entity — before the appointment saves a wasted trip.
The signature block on a commercial lease often says more than it looks like it does — whether someone’s signing personally or purely as a company representative changes what they’re actually agreeing to. Worth reading closely before you sign.
Multi-party signings
Commercial lease signings sometimes involve several people — tenant, guarantor, landlord representative — who aren’t always available in the same place at the same time. A mobile notary can often handle each party’s signature separately across different appointments if needed, as long as the document itself allows for that.
Closing out a commercial lease?
Tell us who needs to sign and where, and we’ll coordinate the appointments.