# HotDocs Alternative for Commercial Real Estate

[Compare](/compare)Document Automation

vs. Document Automation

# Powerful engines. Zero CRE knowledge.

HotDocs, Contract Express, and other document-automation engines do real work for legal teams — but they're blank slates. You'd need to build all the commercial real estate logic yourself.

[Schedule a Demo](/demo)[Explore the Platform](/product)

Credit where it's due

HotDocs and Contract Express are mature document-automation engines with deep adoption across legal. They assemble documents from conditional logic and user inputs cleanly.

The question isn't whether they're good tools. It's whether building CRE-specific logic from scratch makes sense when ten years of CRE logic already exists in another product.

## 10+ years of lease logic, ready to use

This is what you'd need to build from scratch with a generic automation platform.

1.  № 01
    
    Percentage Rent
    
    -   Natural vs. artificial breakpoints
    -   Gross sales definitions
    -   Proration calculations
    -   Audit provisions
2.  № 02
    
    CAM & Operating Expenses
    
    -   Controllable expense caps
    -   Gross-up provisions
    -   Administrative fee structures
    -   Year-over-year reconciliation
3.  № 03
    
    Tenant Improvements
    
    -   Allowance calculations
    -   Disbursement schedules
    -   Lien waiver requirements
    -   Completion deadlines
4.  № 04
    
    Rent Escalations
    
    -   Fixed increases
    -   CPI adjustments
    -   Fair market resets
    -   Compounding logic

And that's just the start. Co-tenancy logic, date calculations, defined-term management, state-specific disclosures, and more.

## Generic automation vs. CRE-native

The record

Generic Automation

LeasePilot

§ CRE Logic

-   Percentage rent calculationsBuild from scratchYes
-   CAM reconciliation logicBuild from scratchYes
-   TI allowance provisionsBuild from scratchYes
-   Co-tenancy clause handlingBuild from scratchYes
-   State-specific requirementsResearch & buildYes

§ Platform

-   Document assembly engineYesYes
-   Conditional logicYesYes
-   Template builderYesYes
-   Post-generation changesBack to WordStill in the platform

§ Implementation

-   Time to first lease3-6 months6 weeks
-   Ongoing maintenanceYour teamIncluded
-   CRE product updatesNoYes

01Percentage rent calculations

Generic AutomationBuild from scratch

LeasePilotYes

02CAM reconciliation logic

Generic AutomationBuild from scratch

LeasePilotYes

03TI allowance provisions

Generic AutomationBuild from scratch

LeasePilotYes

04Co-tenancy clause handling

Generic AutomationBuild from scratch

LeasePilotYes

05State-specific requirements

Generic AutomationResearch & build

LeasePilotYes

06Document assembly engine

Generic AutomationYes

LeasePilotYes

07Conditional logic

Generic AutomationYes

LeasePilotYes

08Template builder

Generic AutomationYes

LeasePilotYes

09Post-generation changes

Generic AutomationBack to Word

LeasePilotStill in the platform

10Time to first lease

Generic Automation3-6 months

LeasePilot6 weeks

11Ongoing maintenance

Generic AutomationYour team

LeasePilotIncluded

12CRE product updates

Generic AutomationNo

LeasePilotYes

## The true cost of custom CRE logic

Build on generic automation

Start with LeasePilot

1.  3–6 months to build initial templates6 weeks to live with your templates
2.  Dedicated developer or consultant costsPredictable subscription cost
3.  Ongoing maintenance as requirements changeTemplate changes handled by our team
4.  Encode state-specific requirements yourselfState requirements already built-in

## Platforms we're often compared to

-   [HotDocsLong-running document automation engine](/compare/document-automation/hotdocs)
-   Contract ExpressThomson Reuters document automation
-   DocassembleOpen-source interview platform
-   LegitoModern document lifecycle platform

At your service

## Skip the build. Start drafting.

10+ years of CRE calculation logic, ready to use. Your templates encoded in weeks, not months of custom development.

[Schedule a Demo](/demo)[See the migration guide](/compare/switch)