Attornment (from French tourner, "to turn"), in English real property law, is the acknowledgment of a new lord by the tenant on the alienation of land.
[1] As used in modern legal transactions, the term attornment refers to an acknowledgment of the existence of the relationship of landlord and tenant.
[1] A tenant often has the duty under the tenant's lease, particularly in commercial leases, to provide an attornment upon request, and is required by a creditor or potential buyer of property from the landlord to establish the nature of existing encumbrances on and income streams flowing from a property, as an element of the due diligence process associated with the transaction.
A request for an attornment from a tenant which is refused can be used by a landlord as a basis for establishing grounds for eviction on the grounds of insecurity that the lease will be honored, or the existence of an actual case or controversy suitable for resolution in a declaratory judgment action.
Attornment in commercial real estate is generally used in the context of a subordination, non-disturbance and attornment agreement (SNDA), which protects both the tenant and the lender in the event the landlord defaults on its commercial lending obligations.