a contract for the exclusive possession of property (usually but not necessarily land or buildings) for a determinate period or at will. The person making the grant is called the lessor (landlord and tenant), and the person receiving the grant is called the lessee. Two important requirements for a lease are that the lessee have exclusive possession (nonexclusive possession would call for a license) and that the lessor's term of interest in the property be longer than the term of the lease (a grant involving an equal term or period would comprise a conveyance or assignment, not a lease).