Leasing commercial space is an essential step in the ongoing operation of a business. For a start-up business, the property lease is one of the first steps in starting the business, and one of the most critical. Businesses lease commercial space generally every three to four years. However, there are several steps involved in finding commercial space before a lease is even contemplated. A business operator must first evaluate space requirements, including size and location. The lessee will then survey the market area in an attempt to locate a few prospective properties. With those few in hand, the lessee can request proposals from property managers. Each property must be considered carefully before requesting lease rates and terms. Those, too, can be compared to each other in order to make a selection of one space to attempt to lease. Only then can lease negotiations be entered into. Problems which arise after lease consummation are always much harder to resolve than they would have been during the lease negotiation stage. Often a landlord will present a would-be tenant with a "standard" lease agreement, and suggest that this is the form used in every lease. In fact, though, this document most likely is drafted in such a way as to serve a landlord's interests and ignore a would-be tenant's. Leases should always be negotiated point-by-point by a tenant, with modifications requested or even demanded. At a preliminary stage of lease development, most terms are negotiable.