As we move deeper into theeconomic crisis caused by the pandemic—and as April rent has comedue—retail tenants are starting to look for ways to mitigate theimpact from the crisis. Real estate attorney KennethFields says his first question to tenants looking foradvice is: will you have a viable business in the future? It is thestarting point to developing a game plan.

"If I am representing a tenant, I will ask whether my clientbelieves it will have a viable business in the future, because theanswer to that question will obviously dictate what my client iswilling to do now," Fields, a partner at GreenbergGlusker, tells GlobeSt.com.

The goal, regardless of the answer to that question, is clearcommunication between both parties and a collaborative solution."Ultimately, we are suggesting that parties communicate with oneanother and try to find a solution that recognizes the interests ofboth sides," says Fields. "Clearly, a landlord must understand thata tenant may not be able to pay full—or any—rent while its businessis closed, but the tenant should also recognize that its landlordmight have its own obligations to lenders and other vendors."