Single vs. Double vs. Triple Net Leases: What's the Difference?

Single Vs. Double Vs. Triple Net Leases: What’s The Difference?

In a net lease, the tenant accepts the obligation to pay not only the agreed-upon amount of rent, but also certain additional costs related to the commercial property.

Taxes, insurance, maintenance, and repairs on the property are a few examples of these extra costs.  

To specify which of these added expenses fall under the tenant’s responsibilities, there are single, double, and triple net leases available.

Each one is slightly different from the other. Therefore, it is important that you are aware of the differences these leases offer before you sign any contract.

Discover the differences between single, double, and triple net leases by reading on.

What's Ahead...

What Is A Single Net Lease?

The least frequent kind of net lease is the single one. In a single net lease, in addition to the predetermined rental amount, the renter is also responsible for the entirety or a fraction of the property taxes on the commercial property.

Many landlords like their payments going via them to make sure the sum is accurate and received on time. 

A tenant that signs a single net lease agrees to bear the least amount of financial obligation for the space.

Due to the additional expense of property taxes, tenants under a single net lease actually end up paying a little less rent than they would under a standard lease.

What Is A Double Net Lease?

A double net lease requires the tenant to pay the space’s property insurance and taxes on top of the agreed-upon rental amount. All other costs, including those for upkeep and repairs, continue to be the tenant’s burden.

In the majority of situations, landlords of larger commercial buildings charge taxes and insurance fees according to the size of the rented area. Double net leases are especially common in commercial properties.

Similar to the single net lease, landlords usually receive the extra payments, so they can pay the municipality and insurance firm.

Even though these payments are included in the tenant’s lease, the landlord is ultimately liable. This is because their name appears on the insurance and tax bill.

What Is A Triple Net Lease?

With a triple net lease, the landlord is relieved of most, if not all, of the financial obligations related to the property. With a triple net lease, the renter is also responsible for paying taxes, insurance, upkeep, and repairs.

Triple net leases are frequently employed in freestanding commercial buildings with only one tenant for lengthy terms. Usually this is for ten years or more.

Triple net leases often have a reduced rental rate because this leasing strategy transfers the bulk of additional costs to the tenant.

Pros Of Triple Net Leases

Triple or even double net leases have benefits that both landlords and tenants can see. For instance, tenants entering a triple net lease with a brand-new structure are aware that they won’t likely have to pay for major repairs for years.

Which enables them to launch their business or company with a cheap base rent before having to pay additional expenses.

Other advantages include:

Few Risks

Landlords can rest easy knowing that they have minimal unpredictable costs to fret about. This is by having tenants directly accountable for charges like taxes, repairs, and insurance..

Less Work

Instead of tenants bugging their landlord about issues, tenants have to solve them on their own. The landlord only needs to ensure that the work is completed properly.

Transparency

Tenants know precisely how much their bills are without the landlord adding a markup to the total.

Cons Of Triple Net Leases

Single Vs. Double Vs. Triple Net Leases: What’s The Difference?

Despite these benefits, triple net leases have some cons as well.

Unreported Property Problems

The building is not ultimately owned by the tenants. The fact that they will continue to utilize it is their sole motivation to fix it correctly. However, a tenant could not report any issues until they became too expensive to fix.

Tenants Cutting Corners

When renters undertake repairs, it serves them best to utilize the least expensive repair techniques and contractors instead of spending more money on the best long-term fix.

Therefore, landlords must closely monitor any repairs and ensure that it adheres to their standards.

Not Making Tax/Insurance Payments

If a tenant doesn’t pay their tax or insurance payments on time or in full, this can cause various issues. In particular, a tax lien or uninsured property may become a problem for the owner.

This is the reason that a lot of landlords opt to collect renter contributions for things like insurance and property taxes and pay the bills themselves. 

Differences Between Single, Double And Triple Leases

The main differences between these three net leases is the amount of money you have to pay. Single net leases are quite common, and you have to pay the least amount of money to your landlord.

While double and triple net leases, involves you having to take on more responsibility and payments for your property. For commercial properties, double and in particular triple net leases are more commonly seen. 

Triple Net Leases And Bondable Net Leases

Tenants with triple net leases commonly try to break their agreements or gain rent breaks when maintenance costs are more expensive than anticipated. Numerous landlords prefer to utilize a bondable net lease to avoid this from happening. 

This particular triple net lease can not be canceled before the agreed-upon end date. Additionally, the rent payment cannot be changed for any reason, even if auxiliary expenses significantly increase unexpectedly.

Conclusion

A net lease is a kind of real estate contract where the tenant is responsible for one or more extra costs. These leases are mainly for commercial rental properties. Single, double, and triple net leases are the three fundamental types of net leasing. 

In a triple net lease, the renter agrees to cover all property costs, such as building insurance, real estate taxes, and maintenance. This is alongside the rent and utility expenses.

Due to the tenant being responsible for a greater portion of the property’s expenses, triple net leases can offer lower base rent charges. I hope this article has made it clear the differences between, single, double, and triple net leases.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can A Triple Net Lease Be Negotiated?

A triple net lease places practically all the burden on the tenant. The base rental rate can therefore become a crucial negotiating point. 

Tenants may be able to negotiate a lower base rental rate because they are bearing the risk of the landlord’s overheads. In rare circumstances, tenants might also agree on which utility costs and/or repair costs are covered by the landlord.

What Tasks Fall To The Landlord In A Triple Net Lease?

The majority of costs associated with a business property under a triple net lease are borne by the tenant. However, the structure, roof, and occasionally the parking lot may be the landlord’s responsibility.

When Are Net Leases Used?

In a net lease, the tenant additionally pays base rent and some (or all) of the property’s taxes, insurance premiums, and upkeep expenses. The commercial real estate industry frequently employs net leases.

Paul Martinez

Paul Martinez is the founder of <a href="https://bendingdestiny.com/">BendingDestiny.com</a>. He is an expert in the areas of finance, real estate, and eCommerce.  Join him on <a href="https://bendingdestiny.com/">BendingDestiny.com</a> to learn how to improve your financial life and excel in these areas. Before starting this blog, Paul built from scratch and managed two multi-million dollar companies. One in the real estate sector and one in the eCommerce sector.