Commercial tenants: TI and inventory proof

The shop took on a foot of water. The landlord is talking about the shell. You’re talking about the millwork you paid for and the stock on the floor.

Those are different claims. Tenant improvements, contents, and the building don’t live on one casual handshake.

Pull the lease tonight. Start the photo walk before the mop crew “helps.”

Do this now

Photograph the unit from the parking lot in, including signage, TI, fixtures, and inventory.
Find the lease pages on TI, insurance, and who must give notice. Send that notice today.
Export POS, inventory, and tax records if the computer still lives.
Call your business insurer and the landlord in writing. Don’t assume one covers the other.
Don’t toss branded fixtures or serial-numbered equipment before you shoot the plates.

TI is not a vibe

If you paid for the extra HVAC, the walk-in, or the millwork, the lease says whether you own it or you just use it. That sentence decides whose policy answers. Houston strip centers and older bungalow retail flood in the same rain. The paperwork is what it is. If you never got a copy, ask the landlord and your broker the same day.

Inventory that looks like a business

A POS export, last month’s inventory count, supplier invoices, and photos of the shelves beat “we had a lot of product.” If the computer drowned, pull cloud backups and bank statements for recent purchases. Don’t rebuild the stock list from memory in a way that doubles the usual on-hand. That’s how a commercial file gets ugly.

Employees, records, and the next morning

Payroll still happens. Customer lists still matter. Get the hard drives and the paper files to high, dry ground. If you have a second location that stayed dry, that’s your warehouse now. Tell staff where to report and what not to throw out. A well-meaning closer who bags “trash” can bag your proof.

Verify live. Status changes hourly. Confirm notice deadlines in the lease. Your carrier and the landlord’s carrier are separate calls.