It has been the law in California for some time that a Landlord must be reasonable in consenting to the assignment of a commercial lease. The California Court of Appeal has recently held that a seller of real property must act in an objectively reasonable manner when asked to extend the close of escrow.
In Peak-Las Positas Partners v. Bollag, the seller told the buyer he did not care how long it took the buyer to entitle a residential development project. But when the close of escrow approached, the seller refused to extend escrow. Imagine the buyers' surprise -- the buyer had already paid 98 percent of purchase price, had invested $5 million in project development costs and had diligently pursued the conditions for closing the sale.
In Peak-Las Positas Partners v. Bollag, the seller told the buyer he did not care how long it took the buyer to entitle a residential development project. But when the close of escrow approached, the seller refused to extend escrow. Imagine the buyers' surprise -- the buyer had already paid 98 percent of purchase price, had invested $5 million in project development costs and had diligently pursued the conditions for closing the sale.
The Court of Appeal held that the seller acted in an objectively unreasonable manner so the buyer would not forfeit the $465,000 it paid for the property and the $5 million in project costs.
A review of the facts demonstrates that the seller invented reasons late in the escrow to refuse the extension. First, the seller claimed he had landslide liability concerns. But the seller had observed soil failures on his property before purchase agreement was signed, and admitted he made no inquiries about insurance costs or availability. Second, the seller claimed the buyer failed to keep him informed about the entitlement processing. To the contrary, the buyer informed the seller about the progress of the land use application and the seller never complained that he lacked information. Even if the buyer had breached its obligation under the purchase agreement to keep the seller informed, the Court of Appeal said it would not constitute reasonable or good faith grounds for the seller to refuse the requested extension.
For guidance about what is objectively reasonable in a commercial real estate transaction, click here to read the opinion in Peak-Las Positas Partners v. Bollag.
