Choosing help to review a lease before you commit for five years

A five-year lease is a significant commitment. It locks in your rent, defines your responsibilities, and sets the tone for years of occupancy. Rushing into signature without a proper legal review often costs tenants far more than the review itself—through missed break clauses, unfair maintenance clauses, or disputes over deposit deductions you could have seen coming.

Many people skip the attorney step because they assume the lease is standard, the landlord seems reasonable, or they're eager to move in. That's precisely when problems emerge. A lease review isn't about being paranoid; it's about spotting the clauses that will actually affect you during those five years, and knowing what you're agreeing to before your signature makes it binding.

The challenge in choosing someone to review it is that not all attorneys work the same way on leases. Some will skim it and tick a box. Others will dig into the specifics of your situation—your business use, your renovation plans, your exit strategy—and flag real risks tied to *your* actual occupancy. That difference is worth deliberating over.

What matters more than their general experience

You might assume you need an attorney with decades of property law experience. In truth, what matters far more is whether they've actually reviewed residential or commercial leases in the *specific context* you're in. A conveyancer who spent ten years on bond transfer work will spot title issues but may miss unfair tenant-liability clauses. A corporate attorney who drafts commercial service agreements might not catch residential tenant protections you're entitled to.

Ask directly: have they reviewed leases similar to yours—residential, commercial, retail, industrial? Don't settle for "I've done property work." How many lease reviews have they done in the last year? If they hesitate, that's a signal they're not regular practitioners of this particular task. The attorney you want is one who reviews leases regularly enough that they've built pattern recognition for the traps landlords commonly bury in boilerplate.

Also ask whether they'll compare your lease against landlord-friendly templates, tenant protections that apply in your province, and any statutory rights you may have overlooked. A good review isn't just "is this legal"; it's "is this fair to you given what the law allows." Some attorneys will flag clauses you have grounds to negotiate before you sign. Others won't, because they weren't thinking about leverage.

Speed and clarity in delivering the review

When you brief them, be precise about your timeline. If you need the review in four days, say so. An attorney who agrees but then returns comments on day seven has failed you—you've either missed your lease deadline or signed without their input. It's fair to ask upfront: given what I've described, how long will this take, and when can I expect feedback? If they can't give you a realistic date, find someone else.

Also gauge how they'll deliver their findings. Will they send you a marked-up copy with annotations, a summary memo, or a live call-through? Some attorneys hand you back a document bristling with highlights and comments but no roadmap for what actually matters. You want someone who will either walk you through the key risks in a conversation, or send a brief covering letter that flags the three or four material issues and explains why each one matters to *you* specifically. That takes slightly longer than a generic comment-dump, but it's the difference between a useful review and one that leaves you confused.

When you're ready to instruct, check that they're registered with the Law Society of South Africa—ask for their roll number and verify it independently if you have any doubt. Don't assume because they have a website and a professional-sounding name that they're entitled to give legal advice. Once you've narrowed down your shortlist by the criteria above, Strove can help you connect with verified attorneys who review leases regularly and will work within your timeline.