DALLAS-As the economy continues its dubious climb, commercial real estate owners continue to find themselves facing issues ranging from maturing debt with little hope of refinancing to outright foreclosure. While this scenario is bad enough for the landlords, it can also have a dire impact on tenants who are leasing space, or are considering renewals, in these assets.

Though there are owners out there who are well-capitalized and can continue operations as usual, there are just as many out there who are facing default or foreclosure. Experts tell GlobeSt.com that knowledge is power for the tenants if they hope to avoid getting burned by potential distressed asset issues.

“More so today than ever before--except perhaps during the 1990s when the RTC stuff was going on--the tenant needs to know who the landlord is and the capital structure of the building,” says Jeff Ellerman, vice chairman with CB Richard Ellis’ Dallas office.