From: moocow@shaw.ca   
      
   Hi all,   
   I have a question regarding breaking a business lease.   
   My business hasn't been good at my consignment store, due to the economy and   
   maybe bad location.  I'm not getting enough sales or making enough to even   
   pay for the part time staff for the last 3-4 months. I want to close down   
   and break the lease.  If I close, I will have nearly three years still left   
   on my 5-year lease. The rent is roughly $4,500 per month, which I have   
   always been paying on time - for the remainder of the lease? How can I get   
   out of my lease without running afoul of the law?  What minimum penalty is   
   standard for commercial business when breaking a lease?  I put in over $30K   
   in improvement to the property.   
   I should also note that I don't really have a proper lease signed with the   
   Landlord.  When I rented this location, we only signed an "Offer To Lease"   
   document.  Recently the landlord sensed that I might break the lease and he   
   asked me to sign an actual lease.  I have been trying to avoid doing that.   
   So my question is, do I really have a proper lease with the landlord.  Can   
   he use the Offer To Lease document to enforce the lease on me?  Any advice   
   would be greatly appreaciated.   
   Thank you very much, Joe   
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)