If the Franchisee's owners are legal entities, can any ownership interest in those owners be transferred without Byrider's approval?
Byrider Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
n or other business entity without obtaining the Company's prior written consent and then only upon disclosure of the terms and conditions contained herein being made to the prospective new holders of the ownership interest. Franchisee agrees to execute a guaranty in the form Company prescribes undertaking personally to be bound, jointly and severally, by all provisions of this Agreement and any ancillary agreements between the Company and Franchisee.
14.3 Assignment by Franchisee to Third Party.
A. The Franchisee understands and acknowledges that the rights and duties this Agreement creates are personal to the Franchisee and its owners and that the Company has granted the Franchisee the franchise in reliance upon its perceptions of the Franchisee's and its owners' individual or collective character, skill, aptitude, attitude, business ability, and financial capacity. Accordingly, none of the following (each a "Transfer") may be transferred without the Company's prior written approval which will not be unreasonably withheld: (i) this Agreement (or any interest in this Agreement); (ii) the Franchisee's Business (or any right to receive all or a portion of the Franchisee's Business' profits or losses or capital appreciation related to the Franchisee's Business); (iii) the right to occupy the Business Location; (iv) substantially all of the assets of the
Franchisee's Business; (v) any ownership interest in the Franchisee (if the Franchisee is a legal entity); or (vi) any ownership interest in any of the Franchisee's owners (if such owners are legal entities). A transfer of the ownership, possession or control of the Franchisee's Business, or substantially all of its assets, may be made only with a transfer of the franchise granted under this Agreement. Any transfer without the Company's approval is a breach of this Agreement and has no effect.
A "transfer" shall not include a transfer of a deceased owner's ownership interest in Franchisee or Franchisee's owner to an existing owner so long as a new majority owner, if any, signs all documents a majority owner is required to sign under this Agreement.
- B. In this Agreement, the term "Transfer" includes a voluntary, involuntary, direct, or indirect assignment, sale, gift, or other disposition. An assignment, sale, gift, or other disposition includes the following events:
- (1) merger or consolidation or issuance of additional securities or other forms of ownership interest;
- (2) any sale of a security convertible to an ownership interest;
- (3) transfer of an interest in the Franchisee or the Franchisee's owners, this Agreement, the Franchisee's Business or substantially all of its assets, or the right to occupy the Business Location in a divorce, insolvency, or entity dissolution proceeding or otherwise by operation of law;
- (4) if the Franchisee, one of the Franchisee's owners or an owner of one of the Franchisee's owners dies (if natural persons), a transfer of an interest in the Franchisee, this Agreement, the Franchisee's Business or substantially all of its assets, the right to occupy the Business Location or the Franchisee's owner by will, declaration of or transfer in trust, or under the laws of intestate succession; or
- (5) pledge of this Agreement (to someone other than the Company) or an ownership interest in the Company or its owners as security, foreclosure upon the Franchisee's Business, or the Franchisee's transfer, surrender, or loss of the possession, control, or management of the Franchisee's Business; provided that Franchisee may pledge the assets of the Franchisee's Business to a lender in connection with obtaining financing for the Franchisee's Business.
- C. If the Franchisee and its owners are in full compliance with this Agreement, then, subject to the provisions of this Section 14, the Company will approve a transfer that meets all of the requirements of this Section 14.3.C. A non-controlling (less than 50%) ownership interest in the Franchisee (or its owners), as determined as of the date on which the proposed transfer will occur, may be transferred if the proposed transferee and its direct and indirect owners (if the transferee is a legal entity) are of good character and meet the Company's then applicable standards for franchisees. All proposed transferees must fill out and submit to the Company its then current form of franchise application.
Source: Item 23 — Receipts (FDD pages 88–335)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Byrider's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, transferring ownership interests in the franchisee or its owners (if those owners are legal entities) requires Byrider's prior written approval. This is because Byrider grants the franchise based on their assessment of the franchisee's and their owners' character, skills, business ability, and financial capacity. Any transfer without Byrider's approval is considered a breach of the agreement and has no effect.
A "transfer" includes voluntary, involuntary, direct, or indirect assignments, sales, gifts, or other dispositions, including mergers, consolidations, issuance of additional securities, or the sale of securities convertible to an ownership interest.
However, a non-controlling (less than 50%) ownership interest in the franchisee (or its owners) may be transferred if the proposed transferee and their direct and indirect owners (if the transferee is a legal entity) are of good character and meet Byrider's standards for franchisees. All proposed transferees must complete Byrider's current franchise application. If the transfer involves a controlling ownership interest, additional conditions must be met, such as the assignee demonstrating the necessary aptitude, skills, qualifications, credit, and financial resources. The franchisee must also be in full compliance with all obligations to Byrider.