Can a new landlord claw back a tenant inducement if the tenant leaves early after the building is sold?

It depends entirely on what the lease actually says, and whether that clawback right was properly carried over when the building sold. Tenant inducements, things like a cash allowance or a free rent period offered to attract a tenant, are sometimes tied to a lease clause requiring the tenant to repay some or all of that inducement if they terminate the lease early or breach it, essentially treating the inducement as something the tenant needs to earn out by staying for the agreed term.

Whether a new owner can enforce that clawback depends on the specific wording of the lease and inducement agreement, and on whether the right to enforce it was properly assigned to the new owner as part of the sale. Some inducement arrangements are documented in a side letter separate from the main lease, which can create gaps if that side letter wasn't clearly identified and assigned during the sale process.

A new owner who believes a clawback right exists should have their lawyer confirm exactly what was documented, whether it was assigned at closing, and whether it remains enforceable, rather than assuming the right simply transferred along with the building.