Legal Definitions - short lease

A short lease refers to a legal agreement that grants the right to use a property or asset for a relatively brief period. While the exact duration can vary depending on the type of property and local customs, it typically means a lease lasting less than a year, or in some commercial contexts, perhaps up to a few years, as opposed to long-term agreements that might span many years or even decades.

Here are some examples illustrating a short lease:

• Seasonal Retail Space: A small business decides to open a temporary "pop-up" shop in a vacant storefront during the busy holiday shopping season, from November 1st to December 31st. They sign a lease agreement specifically for these two months.

  This is a short lease because the agreement grants the business use of the retail space for a very limited, defined period of only two months, which is significantly shorter than a typical commercial lease that might last for several years.

• Vacation Rental: A family rents a beachfront cottage for a three-week summer vacation. They sign a rental agreement that specifies the exact check-in and check-out dates, and their right to occupy the property is strictly limited to that period.

  This exemplifies a short lease because the duration of occupancy is only three weeks, a very brief term compared to a standard residential lease which usually covers six months to a year or more.

• Project-Specific Equipment Rental: A construction company needs a specialized crane for a particular phase of a building project, which is estimated to take four months. They enter into an agreement with an equipment rental company to use the crane for that specific four-month duration.

  This represents a short lease because the crane is leased for a fixed, relatively brief period of four months, tied directly to the project's timeline, rather than a long-term acquisition or a lease spanning multiple years.