I've seen this cited a number of places, but I wonder where it originates. Like, could the head could be cut off the dragon by changing the rules on this— maybe creating some kind of system where the rental value is discounted x% for each month that the rent is not actually collected by a tenant using the space for its intended purpose (no "parking" the space as pop up storage units or something).

But yeah, is it banks, lenders, appraisers? Is this an actual rule or just a rule of thumb? As it stands, it seems there's basically no mechanism to push down commercial rents ever— it's an up-only ratchet because of this rent-derived-value thing.

> It's disingenuous to pretend the law has to use the broadest, most abusable definition of any word to create loop hole counter arguments.

Indeed, and usable definitions for a non-pretend business are I expect well-established in the context of things like shopping malls, where tenants have exactly this kind of agreement with the landlord not only that they will maintain a functioning storefront during the mall's operating hours, but that all the other stores will be occupied and operating too— no mall store wants to operate surrounded by boarded up windows any more than a non-mall store does, and it's the responsibility of the management to keep all the storefronts occupied.