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The Lease League logo
Talk to Us
About The Lease League

Local agents, on your side.

We’re Sam and Daniel. We help small business owners in Ventura and Santa Barbara County find the right space and negotiate a better lease.
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About
Why this exists

Why we started The Lease League

About 85 percent of small business owners sign their commercial lease with nobody on their side. The property owner always has an agent. Most owners never knew they could have one too, or that it’s usually already paid for.

The Founders​

Sam Benner, co-founder of The Lease League
Sam Benner

Co-Founder · Licensed REALTOR & Marketing Specialist

Licensed in 2013. Sam runs The Bennery, a community space in downtown Ventura he built from the ground up, which means he signs a lease and pays rent like the owners he represents. He knows what a fair lease looks like and what a predatory one looks like. And as a small business marketer, he helps fill the space with customers once the doors open. Licensed with Y Realty, CA DRE #01937028.

Daniel Garcia, co-founder of The Lease League and licensed general contractor
Daniel Garcia

Co-Founder · Licensed REALTOR & Contractor

Daniel brings real-world business and construction experience to every transaction. As a business owner and licensed contractor, he knows how to look beyond the asking rent and spot issues that can become expensive later. Based in Santa Barbara, he helps business owners find the right space, understand the costs, and negotiate a better deal. CA DRE #01751429

The Peirano’s Story

What representation actually changes

Early on, Sam represented a tenant in the Peirano’s building in downtown Ventura. The landlord’s side was represented by one of the most established commercial brokers in town, who also co-owned the building. It was about as lopsided as a deal gets.

Sam still walked his client out with a substantial improvement allowance, a covered patio build-out, and free rent to start. The point is not the trophy. The point is that the terms moved, against the most entrenched side of the table, because someone was there to push them.

WHAT WE NEGOTIATED FOR

Architectural rendering of the covered patio at the Peirano's building before construction

WHAT GOT BUILT

The same patio at night after it was built

Peirano’s ran in that space for ten years before moving to a new beachfront location, where it’s open today. The patio is still there, and so is the point.

A lease is the one part of a restaurant you only get to negotiate once.

Why we only work for business owners

Business owners touring an empty commercial space with white brick walls

We never represent property owners

Plenty of firms represent both sides. We do not. You cannot negotiate hard for a tenant on Monday and depend on that same landlord for your next listing on Tuesday. Representing tenants only means there is no deal where our loyalty is divided, and no client who has to wonder whose interest we are really serving. One side of the table, every time.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Lease League was founded by Sam Benner, a Ventura County real estate professional, licensed in 2013, with a background in branding, marketing, and business development. It represents small business owners in commercial lease deals across Ventura and Santa Barbara County, California.
No. We represent tenants only. That is a deliberate choice, so there is never a deal where our interest is split between the side paying us and the side across the table.
Ventura County and Santa Barbara County, California. Our office is at 472 E Santa Clara Street in downtown Ventura.
Don’t Do This Alone.
Starting a search, thinking about a move, or coming up on a renewal? Tell us about your business. The first conversation is free.

Or call (805) 203-6365  | 472 E Santa Clara Street, Ventura, CA

 







    You pay nothing in most deals. We work for you, not the property owner.