Triple net lease - landlord wants me to pay $85K for roof replacement on 40-year-old building

I publish illustrative scenarios prepared by my practice. All participants and conversations are fictional. The fictional posts are not posts by real users, accounts of client experiences, or reports of actual results.
Illustrative scenario prepared by my practice.
For informational purposes only. Commercial lease law varies significantly by state and specific lease language controls.
Hypothetical question

I signed a 5-year NNN lease for a retail space in Columbus, Ohio. I'm 18 months into the lease. The building was built in 1985 and the roof is original.

Landlord just sent me a bill for $85,000 for a full roof replacement. Says under the NNN lease, I'm responsible for "all repairs and maintenance including structural."

This seems insane. The roof was 40 years old when I moved in - of course it needs replacing. How am I responsible for a capital improvement on a building I don't own?

Is this normal for NNN leases? Do I really have to pay this?

Illustrative response

This is super helpful. I'm going to propose the amortization approach.

One more question: if the landlord refuses and demands full payment, what happens? Can they evict me? Can I withhold rent?

Illustrative response

Really appreciate the detailed breakdown in this thread. One additional resource: the CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) complaint database is public. You can search for complaints against specific companies to see if others have had similar issues and how they were resolved.