Landlords with Percent Rent from Liquor Get Some Love from Tennessee ABC

Landlords know this problem all too well. The Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission calls a landlord an “indirect owner” if the landlord that receives 5% or more in percentage rent from the sale of alcohol.

The ABC requires that the landlord file an ABC questionnaire for the landlord company.  Recently, the ABC has been requiring that at least one corporate officer of the landlord also file an ABC questionnaire.

Landlords are understandably concerned about having an “indirect interest” in a liquor license.  Landlords generally have nothing to do with the sale of alcohol, other than an arms-length lease to a tenant that holds an alcoholic beverage license.  Filing a questionnaire or otherwise “being on the liquor license” raises concerns that a plaintiff might sue the landlord in a dram shop action for liquor liability.

In addition, ABC questionnaires require officers to divulge confidential personal information, including a social security number.

We are pleased to announce that the ABC recently discontinued ABC questionnaires for landlords having percent rent.  Instead, the ABC published the “Landlord Interest Affidavit.”

The Landlord Interest Affidavit dispatches with personal information and is limited to factors that would disqualify a landlord from receiving rental income from the sale of alcohol.

Snoop Dogg’s classic “Show Me Some Love” seems appropriate:

You don’t show me some love
(show me love, for real, you gets no love, yea)
You gets no loving babe 
(you gets no love, you ain’t gonna miss it till it’s gone) 

We applaud the ABC for responding to this industry concern and showing some love to landlords.

Source: LastCall