My topic for today’s post is drawn from an email I received last week from a magistrate asking several great questions. Here’s what she wrote:

“I was just thinking about tenant/landlord relationships and types of leases. . . . What are the differences between regular lease agreements and that for commercial properties that we as magistrates need to know? Do they both have the same notice requirements? Are commercial property evictions cases that magistrates would preside over in small claims court? Are the grounds for eviction identified in [Small Claims Law] on page 157 the same for commercial leases?” In preparing to answer these questions, I learned some things I thought some of you might find interesting.