Peoria, IL · Member since 2011 · 365 posts · 182 votes
Is this situation standard? I assume the property manger did this to reduce liability. Lease states parties as "INSERT OWNERS NAME" will be refereed to as Landlord. I would have expected the Property manager's name to be written there. The lease has the Property manager's business name/logo on the letterhead. There was a page in the addendum spelling out that owner hired and was represented by the PM.
Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
6y
Yes. Technically the lease is between the property owner (lessor) and tenant (lessee). The property manager is just a facilitator, even when S/he has authority to act independently. I have seen PMs sign on behalf of owners, and it is marked as such. In contract law you cannot have a valid contract without a transfer of valuable goods which each side must possess. That's why quit claims or easements will happen for $1, because you can't do it for nothing. The property manager technically has nothing of value because they don't own the property.