(a) In General.—

(1) Authority.—The Administrator of General Services may enter into a lease agreement with a person, copartnership, corporation, or other public or private entity for the accommodation of a federal agency in a building (or improvement) which is in existence or being erected by the lessor to accommodate the federal agency. The Administrator may assign and reassign the leased space to a federal agency.

(2) Terms.—A lease agreement under this subsection shall be on terms the Administrator considers to be in the interest of the Federal Government and necessary for the accommodation of the federal agency. However, the lease agreement may not bind the Government for more than 20 years and the obligation of amounts for a lease under this subsection is limited to the current fiscal year for which payments are due without regard to section 1341(a)(1)(B) of title 31.


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Terms Used In 40 USC 585

  • Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.

(b) Sublease.—

(1) Application.—This subsection applies to rent received if the Administrator—

(A) determines that an unexpired portion of a lease of space to the Government is surplus property; and

(B) disposes of the property by sublease.


(2) Use of rent.—Notwithstanding section 571(a) of this title, the Administrator may deposit rent received into the Federal Buildings Fund. The Administrator may defray from the fund any costs necessary to provide services to the Government’s lessee and to pay the rent (not otherwise provided for) on the lease of the space to the Government.


(c) Amounts for Rent Available for Lease of Buildings on Government Land.—Amounts made available to the General Services Administration for the payment of rent may be used to lease space, for a period of not more than 30 years, in buildings erected on land owned by the Government.

(d) Any bargain-price option to purchase at less than fair market value contained in any lease agreement entered into on or after January 1, 2021, pursuant to this section may be exercised only to the extent specifically provided for in subsequent appropriation Acts or other Acts of Congress.

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