finance

escalation clause

An escalation clause is a contract provision that allows a payment amount to increase under stated conditions. In loans, it may allow the interest rate to rise. In leases, it may pass increases in taxes or operating costs to the tenant. In purchase offers, an escalation clause automatically raises the buyer's offer by a set amount above competing offers, up to a stated cap.

Exam tip
Recognize the context: in leases it adjusts rent for cost increases; in competitive offers it raises the price above other bids up to a maximum.
Example
A buyer offers $400,000 with an escalation clause to beat any other offer by $2,000 up to $420,000. A competing $410,000 offer raises the buyer's price to $412,000.

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Last verified: 2026-10-23