What is the commercial lease application form template?
Before a landlord agrees heads of terms on a shop, office or warehouse, they want to know who the tenant is, what they'll do in the space, whether they can afford the rent and who stands behind them if the business struggles. A residential rental application doesn't ask the right questions; a commercial one needs the company structure, the use and fit-out, accounts and directors.
This commercial lease application template covers it in four pages. The company and contact page takes the business name, structure, registration number and main contact. The premises page records the unit, intended use, a description of the business, floor area, start date, term, budget, fit-out plans, licences needed and current premises. Financials ask for turnover, profit, bank, accounts or a business plan for a new business, directors and any insolvency history, and the security on offer. The last page covers a guarantor, references, credit check consent and a signed declaration.
Each application is filed as a PDF in your FileIt vault with the accounts and business plan attached, ready to share with the owner or your lawyer.
- Best for
- Commercial landlords, letting agents, property managers and business park owners
- Filled in by
- Directors or owners of businesses looking for premises
- Time to complete
- About 20 minutes with accounts to upload
- Includes
- Company details, use and fit-out, lease term and budget, accounts or business plan, directors, insolvency, security, guarantor, references, credit consent, signature
Who uses a commercial lease application form?
- A letting agent qualifying applicants for a retail unit on a high street
- A business park owner taking applications for small industrial units
- A landlord of a single office suite vetting a start-up
- A property manager comparing two restaurants interested in the same site
- A co-working operator assessing a company wanting a private floor
- A family-owned building renting its ground floor to a clinic
Questions on this commercial lease application form
44 questions over 4 pages · includes signature, file upload, conditional questions, multiple pages, consent checkbox.
1 Company & contact
- Company or business name*
- Trading name, if different
- Business structure* Corporation · Limited company · LLC · Partnership · Sole trader or proprietor · Nonprofit · Other
- Company registration or tax ID number
- Year established
- Number of employees
- Registered or current business address*
- Main contact*
- Position
- Email*
- Phone*
2 Premises & lease terms
- Property or unit applied for*
- Intended use of the premises* Office · Retail · Restaurant or food service · Industrial or warehouse · Medical or clinic · Studio or workshop
- Describe your business and what you'll do at the premises*
- Floor area needed (sq ft)
- Preferred start date*
- Lease term wanted* Under 1 year · 1 year · 2 years · 3 years · 5 years · 10 years or more · Open to discussion
- Rent budget per month
- Will you need to alter or fit out the premises?*
- Planned alterations or fit-out works asked only when it applies
- Licences or permits your use needs
- Your current premises* Leased · Owned · Home-based · New business, no premises yet
- Current landlord and contact details* asked only when it applies
3 Financials & directors
- Annual turnover (last full year)
- Net profit (last full year)
- Business bank*
- Accounts available* Two or more years · One year · None yet (new business)
- Last two years' accounts or tax returns asked only when it applies
- Business plan and cash-flow forecast asked only when it applies
- Directors, partners or owners*
- Has the business or any director been insolvent, bankrupt or had a court judgment in the last 6 years?*
- Please explain asked only when it applies
- Security you can offer* Rent deposit · Personal guarantee · Bank guarantee · Parent company guarantee · To discuss
4 Guarantor, references & consent
- Will someone guarantee the lease?*
- Guarantor's full name* asked only when it applies
- Relationship to the business asked only when it applies
- Guarantor's email or phone* asked only when it applies
- Trade or supplier reference*
- Landlord or professional reference
- Your solicitor or lawyer (if known)
- Credit and reference checks*
- Declaration*
- Signature of authorised person*
- Date*
The commercial lease application form, page by page
1 Company & contact
The applicant gives the company and trading names, business structure, registration or tax ID number, year established, number of employees and the registered address, followed by the main contact's name, position, email and phone.
2 Premises & lease terms
The applicant names the property or unit, chooses the intended use and describes the business, including hours, deliveries and anything noisy or hazardous. They give the floor area needed, preferred start date, lease term, monthly rent budget, any planned alterations or fit-out, licences the use needs, and whether their current premises are leased, owned, home-based or not yet in place; a current lease asks for the landlord's details.
3 Financials & directors
Turnover, net profit and the business bank are followed by how many years of accounts exist. Businesses with accounts upload them; new businesses upload a business plan and cash-flow forecast instead. The applicant lists directors, partners or owners with their shareholdings, answers a question on insolvency or court judgments in the last six years, and chooses the security they can offer.
4 Guarantor, references & consent
If someone will guarantee the lease, the form takes their name, relationship and contact details. A trade reference is required and a landlord or professional reference optional, along with the applicant's solicitor. Two consents authorise credit and reference checks and confirm the application doesn't create a lease, before an authorised signature and date.
Make the template yours
- Change the floor area to square metres if that's how your units are marketed
- Replace the property field with a dropdown of your vacant units
- Make the guarantor required if you always ask for a personal guarantee on new businesses
- Put the application fee, if you charge one, and your privacy notice in the cover text
- Add your lawyer or the owner to the notification list
Tips for a better commercial lease application form
- Read the use description against the planning or zoning class of the unit before anything else
- Compare the rent budget with the asking rent early to avoid wasted viewings
- Ask a new business for its cash-flow forecast to cover at least the first year
- Follow up on any insolvency answer before running a credit check
- Keep the PDF with the lease file once terms are agreed
Every response becomes a PDF in your vault
Each signed application is saved as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, with accounts, business plan and forecasts attached. You get an email, and the applicant can receive a copy.
Use the Responses table to compare applicants for the same unit side by side, or export to CSV for your pipeline of prospective tenants.
- Start from this template. It opens in the FileIt Forms designer — change any question, add pages, set the rules for when questions appear.
- Share it. Turn on a public link, or send it to people by email, each with their own link. They don’t need a FileIt account.
- Get the answers as PDFs. Each response is saved as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, with uploaded files attached — and listed in a Responses table you can export to CSV.
Commercial lease application form: frequently asked questions
Is this commercial lease application template free?
Yes. It's included in the FileIt Forms app on every account, and you can edit any question.
Does submitting the application create a lease?
No. The declaration says so explicitly. The lease is negotiated and signed separately, usually with lawyers on both sides.
Does FileIt run the credit check?
No. The form records the applicant's consent; you run credit and reference checks through your usual provider.
Is this legal advice or a legally required form?
No. It's a general application template. Adapt it to your market and take legal advice on the lease itself.
Can a new business with no accounts apply?
Yes. Choosing no accounts yet asks for a business plan and cash-flow forecast instead.
Do applicants need a FileIt account?
No. Anyone with the link can apply and upload documents.