Abatement Clause Law and Legal Definition
Abatement clause is a lease provision releasing a lessee from the rent obligation when an act of God prevents the occupancy of the premises. Generally the circumstances under which rent abatement is allowed include destruction of the building or such other condition that makes it uninhabitable. An abatement clause will terminate the lease if there is a substantial destruction of the property. In the absence of an abatement clause, a landlord can ask the lessee to pay the rent even if the building is uninhabitable.