J.W. Wells & Co.'s Tenancy Agreement with the Goblins

J.W. Wells & Co.'s tenancy agreement with the goblins is an unusual landlord–tenant arrangement that makes the firm’s supernatural workplace dependent on respecting the community beneath it. The goblins own the building, lease it to the company for a peppercorn rent, and retain the right to emerge from their tunnels after the doors are locked without being frightened or disturbed by humans.

Ownership and Terms

The agreement reverses the apparent order of the premises: the goblins are not intruders in a human-owned office but its landlords. J.W. Wells & Co. occupies the building at a nominal rent, while the goblin colony lives in tunnels below it and works there digging ore. The arrangement depends on the firm recognizing the goblins’ presence and allowing them to use the building on their own terms.

After-Hours Access and Conduct

Once the doors are locked, the goblins are permitted to leave their tunnels, run about, and enjoy harmless recreation after a day of digging. The company’s human staff are expected not to jump out at them or otherwise frighten them. Dennis Tanner presents this as a matter of basic consideration, stressing that the goblins should not be treated as monstrous intruders in their own home. He also identifies them as family, connecting the tenancy to his own goblin heritage.

Disclosure and Significance

The agreement becomes explicit when Sophie Pettingell asks why goblins are in the building. Dennis Tanner explains that they own it, then acknowledges that the partnership has disagreed over whether trainees should be told about the company’s circumstances immediately or left to work them out for themselves. His later warning to the staff makes the practical stakes clear: disturbing the colony risks damaging the firm’s relationship with its landlords. The lease thus establishes a reciprocal obligation beneath the office’s ordinary routines: the company receives its premises at a token rent, but must make room for the people who own them.