# Lease Abstraction > Extract a structured abstract from a commercial lease PDF — tenant/landlord identification, premises description + RSF/USF, lease term + commencement/expiration, renewal options (count, notice windows, fair-market rent reset), base rent schedule + escalations (fixed %, CPI-linked. - Skill: `tinh2/lease-abstraction` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add tinh2/lease-abstraction` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tinh2/lease-abstraction/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Docs & Writing - Author: tinh2 (https://skillmd.com/u/tinh2) - Updated: 2026-09-08 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tinh2/lease-abstraction --- # Commercial Lease Abstraction You convert a lease PDF (and amendments) into a structured abstract. Manual lease abstraction takes 4-12 hours per document depending on complexity; AI-assisted reduces that to 20-40 minutes of human review on top of a generated draft. The standardization matters as much as the speed — every abstracted lease should fit the same schema so a portfolio can be queried. ============================================================ === PRE-FLIGHT === ============================================================ - [ ] **Lease document(s)**: original lease PDF + ALL amendments + side letters + work letters. Missing amendments = wrong financial picture. - [ ] **Lease type**: office, retail, industrial, ground lease, residential (CA Civil Code §1947 differs), medical office, mixed-use. Drives which clauses to expect. - [ ] **Output schema target**: VTS, Visual Lease, MRI, Yardi, ProLease, Excel template, or generic JSON. Each system has slightly different field names. - [ ] **Reporting purpose**: lease admin (operational), tenant rep (negotiation prep), landlord acquisition DD, ASC 842/IFRS 16 accounting capture. Recovery: - Missing amendments: refuse to publish a final abstract; output draft + flag "amendments missing — DO NOT rely on for accounting." - For complex retail leases (% rent + CAM gross-ups + exclusivity webs), surface complexity to a human reviewer; the abstract is a draft. ============================================================ === PHASE 1: DOCUMENT INTAKE + OCR === ============================================================ PDF preprocessing: - If image-only PDF, OCR via `pytesseract` or AWS Textract (better for table extraction). - Split lease into named sections (definitions, basic terms, rent, additional rent, options, default, indemnity). - Extract embedded tables (rent schedule, CAM exhibit) as structured data, not flowed text. Persist `lease.text.json` with section anchors so the abstract can cite source page+section per extracted field. VALIDATION: Page count > 0, no all-white pages, text extraction confidence per section ≥ 80%. ============================================================ === PHASE 2: STANDARDIZED FIELD EXTRACTION === ============================================================ Extract into this schema (camelCase JSON): ```json { "parties": {"tenant": "...", "landlord": "...", "guarantor": "...", "broker": "..."}, "premises": {"address": "...", "suite": "...", "rsf": 12500, "usf": 11700, "load_factor": 0.068}, "term": { "commencement_date": "2024-04-01", "expiration_date": "2034-03-31", "term_months": 120, "rent_commencement_date": "2024-06-01", "free_rent_months": 2 }, "rent_schedule": [ {"period": "Year 1", "start": "2024-04-01", "end": "2025-03-31", "monthly_rent_psf": 4.50, "monthly_rent_total": 56250.00, "annual_rent_total": 675000}, ... ], "escalations": {"type": "fixed_pct", "pct": 0.03, "annual_review_date": "anniversary"}, "options": [ {"type": "renewal", "count": 2, "term_months": 60, "notice_window_months": 12, "rent_basis": "FMR", "rent_floor_pct": null} ], "additional_rent": { "expense_structure": "modified_gross", "base_year": 2024, "expense_stop_psf": null, "tenant_share_pct": 0.085, "cap": {"type": "cumulative_5pct_year_over_year", "applies_to": "controllable_only"}, "gross_up_provision": true, "audit_rights": {"window_months": 12, "self_help": false} }, "ti_allowance": {"amount_psf": 75.00, "total": 937500, "unused_treatment": "rent_credit"}, "security_deposit": {"type": "letter_of_credit", "amount": 250000, "burn_down": [{"month": 36, "to": 125000}, {"month": 60, "to": 0}]}, "use_restriction": "general office and ancillary uses; no medical, retail, or industrial", "co_tenancy": null, "exclusivity": null, "assignment_sublet": {"consent_standard": "not_unreasonably_withheld", "permitted_transfers": ["affiliates", "merger_consolidation"]}, "termination_rights": {"tenant_kick_out_year": 7, "notice_months": 12, "termination_fee": "9 months base rent + unamortized TI/commissions"}, "expansion_rights": {"type": "ROFO", "size_sf": null, "notice": "60 days"}, "holdover": {"rate_pct_of_holdover": 1.50, "consent_required": false}, "insurance": {"tenant_liability_minimum": 3000000, "additional_insureds": ["landlord", "property_manager"]}, "default": {"monetary_cure_days": 5, "non_monetary_cure_days": 30, "late_fee_pct": 0.05, "interest_rate": "prime + 4%"}, "estoppel_sndaa": {"estoppel_required": true, "snda_attached": true}, "amendments_incorporated": ["Amendment 1 (2024-09-15)", "Amendment 2 (2025-03-01)"] } ``` Every field has a `source` sub-field with `{page, section, confidence}`. VALIDATION: Schema fields present (null OK if absent in lease — don't fabricate). Rent schedule sum reconciles to total committed rent over term. ============================================================ === PHASE 3: AMBIGUITY & FLAG DETECTION === ============================================================ Some lease clauses are inherently ambiguous; flag for human review: - **Gross-up provision boundaries**: which expenses can be grossed up to 95%/100% occupancy? Listed expressly or implicit? - **CAM cap**: cumulative vs annual? Applies to all expenses or controllable only? Taxes/insurance excluded? - **Tenant share**: pro rata by RSF or fixed percentage? Adjustable on changes to building size? - **Renewal rent basis**: FMR with floor? Pre-negotiated rate? Greater of (X, Y)? - **Assignment consent**: "consent not unreasonably withheld" vs absolute discretion vs deemed-consent if no response in N days. - **Termination fee**: includes unamortized TI? Brokerage commissions? Free rent? At what discount rate? Flag each as `{field, ambiguity, suggested_interpretation, reviewer_action}`. VALIDATION: At least 1 flag per lease (if zero, the abstraction is too confident and worth a second pass). ============================================================ === PHASE 4: CRITICAL DATES CALENDAR === ============================================================ Emit a calendar file (`critical_dates.ics` + `critical_dates.csv`) with reminders: - Rent escalation date (60-day and 30-day pre-alerts) - Renewal option exercise window opening + closing (1 year and 6 month pre-alerts) - Lease expiration (24 / 12 / 6 / 3 month pre-alerts) - Termination right exercise window (if applicable) - Expansion/ROFO/ROFR triggers - Security deposit burn-down dates - CAM audit window (typically 12 months after year-end statement) - Estoppel/SNDA delivery deadlines VALIDATION: Calendar imports into Google/Outlook/iCal without errors. ============================================================ === PHASE 5: ABSTRACT OUTPUTS === ============================================================ Final deliverable directory: ``` lease-{tenant-slug}-{address-slug}/ ├── README.md # what each file is and where it goes ├── abstract.json # full schema (Phase 2) ├── abstract.csv # flat row for portfolio rollup ├── abstract.md # human-readable summary ├── critical_dates.ics ├── critical_dates.csv ├── flags.md # ambiguities (Phase 3) ├── source_lease.pdf # original (link, not copy) └── audit_trail.json # extraction confidence per field ``` The Markdown summary is a one-pager: parties, premises, term, rent, escalations, options, key flags. Designed for handoff to a broker / attorney / portfolio manager. VALIDATION: All files render. CSV imports into Excel without column drift. ============================================================ === SELF-REVIEW === ============================================================ Score 1–5: - **Complete**: All schema fields populated or explicitly null? - **Robust**: Amendments incorporated? Rent reconciliation passes? - **Clean**: Markdown summary fits one page? Critical dates calendar correct? - **CRE-credible**: Would a lease admin or tenant-rep broker accept the abstract as a working draft? Common gap: forgetting to incorporate amendments. The "original" lease's rent schedule is often superseded by an amendment. ============================================================ === LEARNINGS CAPTURE === ============================================================ Append to `~/.claude/skills/lease-abstraction/LEARNINGS.md`: ## — - **What worked / awkward / patch / verdict.** ============================================================ === STRICT RULES === ============================================================ - Never publish a final abstract without incorporating all amendments. - Never fabricate a field. Null is acceptable; invented values are a tort. - Never auto-import to Argus / VTS without reviewer sign-off. Wrong rent schedule = wrong valuation = lawsuit. - Always preserve source citations per field for auditability. - Always run the critical-dates calendar — missing a renewal notice can lose a tenant a premises.