Avgerage Lease Term

Definition of Average Lease Term

In the context of commercial mortgages, the Average Lease Term (often referred to more specifically as the Weighted Average Lease Term or WALT) is a metric used to measure the average amount of time remaining until the leases in a commercial property expire. While a simple average might look at the number of years remaining across all contracts, commercial lenders almost exclusively use a weighted average based on either the square footage occupied by each tenant or the rental income contributed by each tenant.

Detailed Description and Importance in Commercial Lending

The Average Lease Term serves as a critical indicator of a property's income stability and occupancy risk. When a borrower applies for a commercial mortgage, the lender evaluates the ALT to determine how likely the property is to maintain its cash flow throughout the life of the loan. A higher ALT suggests a stable, predictable income stream, whereas a lower ALT indicates significant "rollover risk," where multiple tenants may vacate the property in a short period.

Lenders prioritize the Average Lease Term for the following reasons:

• Risk Mitigation: If a property has a ten-year mortgage but an Average Lease Term of only three years, the lender faces the risk that the building could become vacant and unable to cover debt service long before the loan matures.
• Loan-to-Value (LTV) Ratios: Properties with longer lease terms are often perceived as lower risk, which may allow borrowers to access higher LTV ratios and more competitive interest rates.
• Refinancing Prospects: A property nearing the end of its lease terms is much harder to refinance. Lenders look for an ALT that extends several years beyond the maturity date of the proposed mortgage to ensure the asset remains viable.
• Tenant Quality: The ALT is often analyzed alongside the creditworthiness of the tenants. A long lease term with a "Credit Tenant" (such as a national corporation or government entity) is considered the gold standard for securing favorable commercial financing.

Calculating the Weighted Average

To provide an accurate picture for a commercial mortgage underwriter, the term is usually weighted by square footage. This prevents a small tenant in a tiny storage closet with a ten-year lease from artificially inflating the average if the anchor tenant (occupying 80% of the building) only has one year remaining. The formula involves multiplying the remaining years of each lease by the square footage it occupies, summing those figures, and dividing by the total occupied square footage of the property.

In summary, the Average Lease Term is a fundamental metric that bridges the gap between property management and structured finance, directly influencing the leverage, pricing, and approval of a commercial mortgage.