My brother and I have inherited a tract of land for which we have a draft 5-year lease contract to review. He agrees with the provision that provides for an automatic 5 year extension at any time during that five years if the Lessee so desires, as long as the Lessee pays us the same signing bonus per mineral acre they paid us for the first 5 years. I contend that limits our flexibility in that, if the property isn't productive the Lessee isn't going to want to extend the contract anyway. If the property is productive, another company may offer Top Leasing after the first five years, but at a higher bonus per mineral acre. The draft lease contract already contains a "Top Leasing" provision, stating that the Lessee has right of first refusal if we receive a written bona fide offer to enter into an additional lease. Somehow I don't see allowing the existing company to pay me 2017 going rates, in 2022, instead of allowing free enterprise to take over and pay me what the mineral rights actually are worth in 2022. If the property turns out to be productive, what do I stand to lose by trying to limit the lease contract (realizing, of course, that even though the written contract will have expired after 5 years, an oil and gas lease will continue as long as production continues)? So length of contract is central to our differing viewpoints.