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HomeCommercial CodeDiv. 10Ch. 5Art. 1§ 10507 Lease Damage Rent Calculation

§ 10507 Lease Damage Rent Calculation

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

§ 10507 Lease Damage Rent Calculation

This law explains how to calculate monetary damages when someone breaks a lease and the amount is based on the market rent for the same type of property.

Key Takeaways

  • •Damages are based on the rent that would be charged for the same type of property for the same length of time left on the original lease.
  • •If that exact rent isn’t available, the law allows using a close substitute rent and adjusting for differences like transport costs.
  • •A party must give notice before using a rent figure that isn’t the exact one described, to avoid unfair surprise.

Example

A small business rents a storefront for 3 more years. The landlord ends the lease early and wants to charge the tenant for the lost rent. The court must decide how much the tenant owes based on the current market rent for similar spaces.

The court looks up the rent that would be charged for a comparable storefront for the same 3‑year period in the same area. That rent amount is used as the damages the tenant must pay.

How to Calculate

Damages = prevailing market rent × remaining lease term (in months or years)

  1. Determine how many months or years are left on the original lease.
  2. Find the current market rent for a similar property for that exact length of time.
  3. Multiply the market rent by the remaining lease term to get the total damages.

A bakery has 18 months left on its lease. The market rent for a similar bakery space in the same neighborhood is $2,000 per month.

Result: 36000

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

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 10507 Lease Damage Rent Calculation

(a) Damages based on market rent (Section 10519 or 10528) are determined according to the rent for the use of the goods concerned for a lease term identical to the remaining lease term of the original lease agreement and prevailing at the times specified in Sections 10519 and 10528. (b) If evidence of rent for the use of the goods concerned for a lease term identical to the remaining lease term of the original lease agreement and prevailing at the times or places described in this division is not readily available, the rent prevailing within any reasonable time before or after the time described or at any other place or for a different lease term which in commercial judgment or under usage of trade would serve as a reasonable substitute for the one described may be used, making any proper allowance for the difference, including the cost of transporting the goods to or from the other place. (c) Evidence of a relevant rent prevailing at a time or place or for a lease term other than the one described in this division offered by one party is not admissible unless and until he or she has given the other party notice the court finds sufficient to prevent unfair surprise. (d) If the prevailing rent or value of any goods regularly leased in any established market is in issue, reports in official publications or trade journals or in newspapers or periodicals of general circulation published as the reports of that market are admissible in evidence. The circumstances of the preparation of the report may be shown to affect its weight but not its admissibility. (Amended by Stats. 1991, Ch. 111, Sec. 45. Effective July 15, 1991.)

Last verified: January 10, 2026

Key Terms

agreementevidencejudgmentallowancedamagesofferportlease

Related Statutes

  • § 10504 Lease Damage Liquidation Rules
  • § 10518 Lessee Cover After Default
  • § 10527 Lessor Disposal After Default
  • § 10505 Lease Cancellation And Termination
  • § 10511 Lessee Disposal Of Rejected Goods

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Commercial Code. Section 10507.
View Official Source