The Chinese New Year, which in 2018 is on February 16, is one of several days that people around the world mark as New Year’s Day. We think of January 1 as New Year’s, but in colonial America until 1752, New Year’s Day was March 25. The Hebrew new year, lunar like the Chinese calendar, is on September 9 this year, and the Cambodian new year will start in mid-April.
Leases should be simpler than the calendar, but they aren’t. On what day does a commercial lease start? The landlord and tenant take on some obligations the day they sign the lease. The tenant’s right to possession may start on a second day, the tenant’s obligation to pay property taxes and insurance may start on a third day, and the tenant’s obligation to pay rent may start on a fourth day. Before you sign your next lease, be sure you understand what starts when. If you don’t understand the various start dates when you write and sign the lease, the jury won’t understand them when its members read it.
