RootSpace-Tenant Sample MOU

June 16, 2008 by RootSpaceOnline

RootSpace-Tenant Sample Memorandum of Understanding

______________________ (hereafter called “the Tenant”) is hereby physically locating its office in the RootSpace office complex located at Beirut – Saify – Charles Helou Street – Chawkatly Bldg – 6th floor. The Tenant, however, continues to be a completely independent entity in all its rights, responsibilities, and functions, subject to the limitations outlined below.
While the Tenant is responsible for the actions of its own staff, volunteers, and visitors in the RootSpace office complex, it is not responsible for any demands, claims, actions or proceedings by others in regard to the activities of other tenants or visitors at RootSpace.

Tenant Rights and Obligations

In accepting to become a tenant at RootSpace, the Tenant does so with the following conditions:

1) All organizations and businesses that are present or future tenants of RootSpace: are registered or in the process of registering for official legal status or are under RootSpace fiscal and legal sponsorship; abide by Lebanese law; operate according to missions, objectives, and activities which follow the RootSpace Statement of Principles (namely, that they do not exclusively serve any one political party, political faction, religion, or religious sect, and that it does not restrict membership, leadership, or beneficiaries based on religious, political, racial, or ethnic reasons).

2) All individuals who become part-time, short-term, or long-term tenants of RootSpace hereby affirm to RootSpace that they abide by the statement written above, except for the requirement for official registration or legal/fiscal sponsorship.

3) Any activities undertaken at the RootSpace premises by RootSpace or any of its tenants abide by Lebanese law and the Lebanese Constitution; and do not exclusively serve any one political party, political faction, religion, or religious sect.

4) All organizations, businesses, and individuals who become tenants of RootSpace honor the RootSpace Mission Statement and Statement of Principles through pledging their best efforts to model and promote organization & business practices that are socially responsible, sustainable, inclusive, efficient, honest, positive, and effective.

For organizations designated as RootSpace Anchor Tenants, the Tenant will furthermore have both the right and responsibility to have a representative serve as a member of the RootSpace Tenants' Council (also see below) that oversees compliance with these conditions through a review of the policies, procedures, tenancy applications, and activities that take place at RootSpace, while all non-Anchor Tenants will collectively be represented on the Tenants' Council by one person, elected by and from amongst themselves.

Right to terminate the contract: The tenant has the right to terminate the contract unilaterally before the end of the contract at any time without giving reasons provided that the landlord is informed of his decision to terminate the contract two months before the date of termination.

RootSpace Rights and Obligations
RootSpace pledges not to be involved in any activity or profession or service contrary to the provisions of Lebanese law or any activity or service against the principles outlined in Item 1, above.

RootSpace further undertakes to ensure that the physical office space is used by the RootSpace organization and by all Tenants in a way that is consistent with Lebanese law, and that fits within the parameters of a shared office and community space devoted towards promoting sustainable social and economic development, and which will not, as much as can be reasonably predicted or anticipated, cause potential moral damage to RootSpace or any RootSpace tenants, or the community.

RootSpace further pledges that, as a non-profit organization, all funds received from tenants will be used to support the shared office space and facilities used by the RootSpace tenants, or programs which benefit a majority of the tenants currently at RootSpace.

The RootSpace Tenants' Council

A committee, the RootSpace Tenants’ Council, will be made up of the members of the RootSpace Board plus one representative from each of the designated organizational Anchor Tenants plus one representative of all other tenants, to address all general concerns of the tenants of RootSpace and to monitor compliance with the above criteria for tenants and RootSpace events and activities. In general, it is RootSpace policy that unanimous decision-making is preferable, with strong emphasis placed on finding mutually acceptable and win-win solutions to all concerns and problems. However, in the interest of avoiding deadlock and the inability to make final decisions on important issues, if unanimity is not found, all relevant decisions must be passed by a minimum of a 50% vote of this Council.

The RootSpace Dispute Resolution Procedures will be used to resolve any dispute regarding this Memorandum of Understanding or the Tenancy Contract.

Signed, on behalf of RootSpace and the Tenant,

(On behalf of: RootSpace Tenant)

Signature:

Name and title:

Date: