Applicable rules . Because leases are contracts as well as conveyances of property, ordinary contract principles apply. Where, as here, the dispute centers on the meaning of certain lease terms, we engage in the process of interpretation , rather than construction . See Fausel v. JRJ Enters. The primary goal of contract interpretation is to determine the parties' intentions at the time they executed the contract.
Interpretation involves a two-step process.
In so doing, the court determines whether a disputed term is ambiguous. A term is not ambiguous merely because the parties disagree about its meaning. If the resolution of ambiguous language involves extrinsic evidence, a question of interpretation arises which is reserved for the trier of fact. Any determination of meaning or ambiguity should only be made in the light of the relevant evidence of the situation and relations of the parties, the subject matter of the transaction, preliminary negotiations and statements made therein, usages of trade, and the course of dealing between the parties. But after the transaction has been shown in all its length and breadth, the words of an integrated agreement remain the most important evidence of intention.