I’m in the process of taking over a dog hunting club in north Florida and completely new to this. I've never been over a lease and want to make sure I do this right. What questions do I need to ask and what do I need to watch out for? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Get it in writing and go over that document thoroughly to make sure everything you verbally agreed to is in there, do not assume anything. It can be all handshakes and good feelings the day you sign any type of lease but the minute the SHTF, you or the other party will be beat over the head with the document.
TCR is right on about getting it in writing.
Just a few things off the top of my head...
Year round access and hunting?
max does and bucks?
turkey rights?
is insurance by owner?
anyone else allowed access?
guest policy?
make sure you get signed hunting permission slips from LANDOWNER for each person and guests
start and end dates?
camping allowed?
is lease breakable by either party?
who's responsible for unforeseen repairs like roads and gates?
any land work planned?
I'm sure there's some things I'm forgetting but this is a good start. Not all of these will be on a standard lease but a reference can be made to an addendum and it can be hand written. Good luck with it.
I hope you are prepared for a lot of phone calls, emails, etc..Running a lease will drive you crazy. I ran one for three years with just a few members and I bout pulled my hair out
You didn't specify how big the lease is or how many members. If it is pretty good size, you might want to think about setting up a board of directors and having regular meetings. There is a lot involved in a dog lease vs a still hunt lease. Plus a BOD will keep some of the pressure/complaints etc off of you personally and put it on the "board"
Good luck with it
a scammer could put anything in writing. do a title search, find out who actually owns the property and if there are any liens against it, for starters. any local zoning/ordinances that would be against hunting. really gonna have to do your homework. if it is a big area and big money and you know little of real estate maybe a lawyer is in order.
