{"ok":true,"canonical_url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/assignability","api_url":"https://dealroom.so/api/public/glossary/assignability","data_freshness":{"sba_records_through":"2026-05-31","fdic_records_through":"2026-03-31","dealroom_last_updated":"2026-06-15","timezone":"America/Chicago"},"source_summary":["Public SBA 7(a) loan records","FDIC institution data","DealRoom lender and franchise enrichment"],"term":{"slug":"assignability","term":"Assignability","group":"Doing the deal","definition":"This refers to the legal right to transfer a contract, like a lease or a key customer agreement, from the current owner (seller) to a new owner (buyer).","what_it_means":"When buying a business, confirm that critical contracts, especially the lease and major customer/vendor agreements, are assignable to you. If not, you'll need explicit consent from the third parties, which can be a point of negotiation or a deal breaker. Your lender will verify this during due diligence.","url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/assignability","official_sources":[{"slug":"sop-50-10","title":"SOP 50 10 — Lender and Development Company Loan Programs","official_url":"https://www.sba.gov/document/sop-50-10-lender-development-company-loan-programs","official_label":"View on SBA.gov","authority_tier":2,"publisher":"U.S. Small Business Administration","source_guide_url":"https://dealroom.so/sba-7a/sources/sop-50-10"}],"related":[{"slug":"lease-agreement","term":"Lease agreement","url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/lease-agreement"},{"slug":"landlord-consent","term":"Landlord Consent","url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/landlord-consent"},{"slug":"due-diligence","term":"Due diligence","url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/due-diligence"},{"slug":"loan-agreement","term":"Loan agreement","url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/loan-agreement"}],"related_questions":[]},"caveats":["Definitions represent DealRoom's plain-English interpretation for buyers; verify regulatory terms against the official SBA and eCFR sources listed.","Not legal, tax, or financial advice, and not an SBA eligibility determination."],"citation":{"label":"DealRoom.so Glossary — Assignability","url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/assignability","source_type":"DealRoom Data"}}