How Religious Is Your Landlord: For Churches, Temples and Synagogues

If you are a Church, Temple or Synagogue, AND, you are leasing your premises, you be able to utilize the property tax exemption entitled to Churches pursuant to Section 2602 of the California Revenue and Taxation Code. In a nutshell, this code states that, “absence a contrary provision in your lease”, a Church should be able to get a credit (or an offset) in rent for the benefit of a tax exemption for property taxes which the landlord has enjoyed as a result of you being a tenant. For example, if a Church i renting a facility for $100,000 per year and the Landlord is exempt from property tax due to the Church’s activities, then, the amount they landlord would have paid in property tax should be credited against the tenant, in this case, Church’s rent. Refer to the Code section if you are interested in learning more.