George Murphy owns a four-story brick office building in Roderick, Indiana (Clark County). The roof of the building is flat and is a nice location for a commercial sign. George is willing to lease space on the roof for that purpose.
The Potter Corporation owns a restaurant (d/b/a "The Place") in BluePaw, Kentucky (Bear County). BluePaw is directly across the Ohio River from Roderick, and Benjamin Potter, the Potter Corporation's President and CEO, would like to advertise in Roderick. He would like to place a large sign on the roof of George's building.
You are the attorney for Murphy. Your job is to negotiate a lease agreement for your client. The following are the facts about your client's desires and current financial situation:
Murphy feels that a sign of approximately eight feet across and 10 feet in height is appropriate.
Murphy is not certain that the Potter Corporation considers his office building as a good location for Potter's sign. Accordingly, Murphy is a little worried that Potter may not enter into the agreement if the lease payments are too high. Murphy would like to receive approximately $600 per month for 36 months.
Murphy doesn't like uncertainty. Accordingly, he is not too interested in paying for any costs of repair to the sign.
Murphy doesn't want the sign to be "lurid" or "sexual" in content. Murphy wants something tasteful.
Murphy needs the lease payments to begin as soon as possible. Accordingly, he would like the contract to go into effect immediately.
The town has the following ordinances:
"An owner of a building must keep the premises of his building in good repair."
"Advertising signs, other than billboards, are limited in size to ten feet in width and twelve feet in height."
Negotiate a lease contract for your client. Try to hammer out an agreement. Don't stonewall but don't give away the store. Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate.