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HomeCommercial CodeDiv. 10Ch. 4§ 10402 Lease Contract Repudiation Rights

§ 10402 Lease Contract Repudiation Rights

Commercial Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 10402 Lease Contract Repudiation Rights

If one side of a business lease says they won't do something they promised and that would seriously hurt the lease, the other side can wait for them to change their mind, ask for a promise they’ll do it, or use any other right they have, and can also stop doing their own part of the lease.

Key Takeaways

  • •Only works for non‑consumer (business) leases; consumer leases are handled by other laws.
  • •The hurt‑ful missing performance must be important enough to lower the lease’s value.
  • •The aggrieved party can wait, demand a promise, or use any other lease‑related right, and can also stop doing its own part of the lease.

Example

A company rents a commercial printer and decides it won’t pay the next month's lease payment, which would make the lease much less valuable to the printer owner.

The printer owner can (1) wait a reasonable time to see if the company changes its mind, (2) ask the company for a firm promise that it will pay, or (3) start using other legal options like stopping delivery of printer supplies, while also being allowed to pause its own duties under the lease.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 10402 Lease Contract Repudiation Rights

(a) If either party repudiates a lease contract, other than a consumer lease, with respect to a performance not yet due under the lease contract, the loss of which performance will substantially impair the value of the lease contract to the other, the aggrieved party may: (1) For a commercially reasonable time, await retraction of repudiation and performance by the repudiating party; (2) Make demand pursuant to Section 10401 and await assurance of future performance adequate under the circumstances of the particular case; or (3) Resort to any right or remedy upon default under the lease contract or this division, even though the aggrieved party has notified the repudiating party that the aggrieved party would await the repudiating party’s performance and assurance and has urged retraction. In addition, whether or not the aggrieved party is pursuing one of the foregoing remedies, the aggrieved party may suspend performance or, if the aggrieved party is the lessor, proceed in accordance with the provisions of this division on the lessor’s right to identify goods to the lease contract notwithstanding default or to salvage unfinished goods (Section 10524). (b) The rights and remedies of the parties to a consumer lease in connection with a repudiation of that lease shall be determined under other laws, and this section shall not affect the applicability or interpretation of those laws. (Amended by Stats. 1991, Ch. 111, Sec. 34. Effective July 15, 1991.)

Last verified: January 10, 2026

Key Terms

repudiateslease contractconsumer leaseaggrieved partysubstantially impaircommercially reasonable timeassurance of future performancedefaultsuspend performancelessoridentify goodssalvage unfinished goods

Related Statutes

  • § 10403 Repudiation Retraction In Leases
  • § 10501 Lease Default Enforcement Rights
  • § 10502 Lease Default Notice Waiver
  • § 10401 Lease Performance Assurance Rights
  • § 10407 Finance Lease Irrevocable Promises

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Commercial Code. Section 10402.
View Official Source