Losing control over tenant use can mean disaster to the owner of a shopping center, industrial complex or office building. The wrong tenant mix, a use that disturbs other tenants or overburdens available parking, or one that causes physical damage to and/or possible contamination of the property, can destroy the economic benefit of a lease and squeeze profit out of a commercial development. On the other hand, the presence of a use restriction can create problems for a commercial tenant. A use restriction can make it difficult for a tenant to change the nature of its business to meet the demands of the marketplace, or to assign or sublet the space when conditions warrant (e.g., sale of a business, move to a better location, need to reduce overhead). A use restriction can also affect the amount a tenant will receive in an eminent domain proceeding, as the restriction may impact valuation of the leasehold estate. The most effective tool for maintaining control over the use of property is a carefully crafted use restriction. Restrictive use provisions are most commonly employed to: (1) limit the use of property to a specific purpose; (2) prevent property from being used for a prohibited purpose; and/or (3) regulate a change in use during the term of the lease. In California, the subject of commercial lease use restrictions and changes in use is regulated by statute (Civil Code § 1997.010 et seq.) Under the statutory scheme, a landlord may impose any restriction on the tenant’s use of the premises, whether reasonable or not. (Civil Code § 1997.210(a).) Under this provision, the landlord has virtually a free hand in setting the rules for the use of its property. On the other hand, if there are no restrictions on use spelled out in the lease, none will be implied. In such a situation, the tenant is free to put the property to any “reasonable” use, but is under no requirement to use or not use the property for any particular purpose (Civil Code § 1997.210(b)), or even to use the property at all! The use restriction statutes allow landlords to keep a tight rein on future changes in the use of their property. A lease may provide that a change in use be subject to any express standard or condition, reasonable or not. (Civil Code § 1997.240.)