Leases, Licenses, and Permitting Services

The Real Estate Office facilitates all campus leases and licenses, and is the only campus office authorized to enter into leases and licenses on behalf of the University. 

What are the differences between a lease and a license, and when is it appropriate to use one or the other?

A lease is an agreement in which the landlord agrees to give the tenant the exclusive right to occupy real property, and the tenant agrees to give the landlord some sort of consideration. Leases may be between the University as a tenant and a building landlord, or between the University as the landlord and a non-University tenant. If a campus unit needs to occupy space in a building for any significant length of time, it will almost certainly need to enter into a lease agreement. REO will work with the campus unit interested in entering into a lease

• to go through campus approval process
• to select a site
• to coordinate lease negotiations, due diligence, and tenant improvement requirements
• to participate in implementation of a lease project, including move planning

Are you a UCSC unit planning to lease space as a tenant?

Are you a UCSC unit planning to lease space as a landlord?

A license gives the permission of the owner of real property to an individual or an entity to use that property for a specific purpose. Licenses are often used to facilitate the short-term or non-exclusive use of a property, for a variety of different purposes (see the list below).  Licenses may be simple or complex documents, but they often require review by the UC Office of General Counsel before they can be executed.  Licenses are usually revocable with specified notification requirements.  See "Lease vs License.pdf" for more information.  

• Academic access to private property requires access permits from the land owner or building owner. 
• Use of campus facilities for an event requires a UCSC events permit.  
• Use of space in a building or on a property where that use is non-exclusive (shared) and/or has significant conditions attached requires a space license agreement. The process for a campus unit to enter into a space license agreement is similar in many ways to the process for entering into a lease agreement.
  • If a campus unit will be using space in a building or on a property not owned by the University, it will need to enter into a license agreement as 'licensee'.
    
  • If a campus unit will be allowing a non-campus entity to share space in a University-owned building or property, it will need to enter into a license agreement as 'licensor'.