When do possession, fixturing and rent actually begin?
Use this page to separate the signed dates from the events that may trigger possession, construction access, opening and rent. It also exposes what happens if the premises are late.
See what this page does ↓A guide that turns this lease term into a practical next step.
Use this page to separate the signed dates from the events that may trigger possession, construction access, opening and rent. It also exposes what happens if the premises are late.
What are you trying to do?
Choose your side and the situation you are dealing with. We will show you what it probably means, what to check first and where to continue.
Important: This helps you understand and organize the issue. The signed lease, amendments, facts and applicable law still need qualified review.
Use this when one of these situations is real.
Avoid treating key delivery, access or occupancy as the same event unless the lease says so.
Document the required handover conditions and the evidence supporting each triggered date.
Turn the clause into a controlled decision.
- 01
Extract every defined commencement and possession event.
- 02
Assign evidence, responsibility and planned dates to each condition.
- 03
Record actual completion without silently changing contractual dates.
- 04
Carry approved dates into rent, accounting and critical-date systems.
This page is a practical checklist—not lease wording.
The actual meaning depends on the complete lease, amendments, facts and governing law. Use the prompts below to extract and brief the issue; do not paste this page into a lease as a substitute for drafting and legal review.
What the business team needs to know
- What must be complete before possession or rent starts?
- Who certifies substantial completion?
- What relief or termination right applies after the outside date?
What to capture from the document
Possession trigger
Capture the exact delivery condition and evidence.
Term and rent commencement
Record each date or formula separately.
Outside date and delay remedy
Capture abatement, self-help, termination and excluded-delay language.
Terms that can change the practical outcome
- Rent starting despite incomplete access or essential systems
- Open-ended landlord delay without an outside date
- A commencement certificate that can override disputed facts
What qualified counsel needs to test
Build a chronology of every delivery and commencement trigger, completion standard, excluded delay, notice step, remedy and confirmation document.
Accounting handoff: Carry only accountant-approved commencement, term, payment, incentive, cost and restoration inputs into the Lease Accounting workbench. The clause label does not determine IFRS, ASPE or tax treatment.
Leasing-pipeline handoff: Carry only the sourced space, current stage, proposed term, economics, conditions, activity and next action into the landlord pipeline. A stage or probability does not establish authority, market rent, tenant credit, legal completion, collection, accounting treatment or occupancy.
Amendment-control handoff: Carry the executed source, authority, effective date, changed categories, revised term and approval evidence into Lease Amendment & Change Control. The workspace sequences entered facts; it does not interpret wording, establish enforceability or replace legal, accounting or tax review.
Commencement-control handoff: Carry the exact source, planned and actual events, accountable owner, required authority or professional evidence and every affected gate into Lease Commencement & Handover. A completed workflow task, key delivery or permit reference does not determine possession, acceptance, lawful occupancy, rent commencement or accounting treatment.
Jurisdiction and statutory context
These sources support limited context only. They do not decide how the actual lease operates.
Ontario — Renting commercial property ↗Provincial overview explaining that commercial leases are negotiated contracts and identifying selected Ontario statutory rules and remedies.