The property is a three-story, class A office facility at 70 Valley Stream Parkway. IKON has occupied and controlled it since 1997 through a synthetic lease. Terms of IKON's conventional lease with Lexington are undisclosed. The average asking rental rate for class A office space in the Exton/Malvern submarket ranges between $23 per sf and $26 per sf, according to brokers who operate in Chester County, PA. Cushman & Wakefield of Pennsylvania represented IKON in the negotiations

According to Richard J. Rouse, vice chairman and CIO of Lexington, this is the first transaction that Lexington has completed converting a synthetic lease to an operating lease. "We hope to do more transactions of this type in the future," he says.

As synthetic leases, which allow companies to control their real estate without having to show it as an asset on the balance sheet, come under increasing scrutiny in the wave of corporate scandals, area brokers tell GlobeSt.com they expect to see more unraveling of synthetic leases. "It makes sense for buyers/investors to look for companies, especially public ones, that want to rid themselves of synthetic leases and still maintain some control over their real estate without having to purchase it," one broker explains.