lessee
leh-SEE
/leˈsiː/
A person or organization that holds a lease of property; a tenant.
Used in formal legal documents to specify the party paying for the right to occupy or use an asset, emphasizing their contractual obligations.
The story behind the word. Like 'lessor', this stems from Latin laxare and Old French laissier. The suffix '-ee' is used in legal English to denote the recipient of an action (similar to employee, payee, or trustree). Thus, the lessee is the recipient of the lease.
Word relationships
- tenant: 'Tenant' is the common term used in everyday residential and commercial contexts, whereas 'lessee' is strictly legal.
- leaseholder: 'Leaseholder' often implies a very long-term lease (sometimes 99 years) common in British property law, whereas 'lessee' applies to any lease duration.
- lessor: The lessor is the property owner who grants the lease to the lessee.
Commonly confused with
- lessor: The lessor is the landlord; the lessee is the tenant.
Word family
- lease (verb): To grant or obtain temporary use of property.
Collocations
- lessee's obligations
- lessee's covenants
- default by the lessee
- rights of the lessee
Example sentences
- "The lessee agrees to pay all utility charges incurred on the premises during the term of the lease." A commercial lease clause detailing tenant obligations.
- "As the lessee, our startup was responsible for any minor aesthetic alterations we wanted to make to the office space." A corporate real estate negotiation.
Memory hook
The lesseE is the rEnter. Both end in a double 'E' sound. Lessee ends in -EE, like Employee (the one receiving the job) and Payee (the one receiving the money).
When not to use
Do not use in casual conversation about renting an apartment; 'tenant' or 'renter' is much more appropriate.
Fun facts
- In legal disputes, courts often interpret ambiguous lease clauses in favor of the lessee because the lessor is typically the party that drafted the contract.
Also appears in
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