Lease agreement template free

Each adult who resides in the rental should be named as a tenant and sign the lease or rental agreement. By requiring all adult occupants to be official tenants allows a landlord to hold each tenant legally responsible for paying the total amount of rent and following the terms. If one of the tenants terminate their lease, landlords can legally seek the entire rent payment from any of the other tenants on the lease.

Additionally, if one of the tenants move out or violates the lease, the landlord can terminate the tenancy for all of the tenants. Keep in mind, in areas without rent control, landlords can charge any amount for their property. Rental property details. Your lease or rental agreement may include the property premises details such as storage areas, furnishings, and other amenities that are included with the rental property.

Before signing a lease or rental agreement, make sure that it includes the complete address building and unit number, if applicable as well as any amenities promised. For example, if the rental includes storage space, you will want to provide information on where it is and how to access it. Leases or rental agreements usually include a provision making the tenant responsible for keeping the rental clean and in good condition.

It also obligates a tenant to reimburse their landlord to repair any damages they caused. Term of the tenancy. The term of the tenancy is the length of time the property will be rented. A lease should include a start and end date. If it is a rental agreement usually short-term tenancies it should include a start date and renew automatically until the landlord or tenant decides to terminate.

When and how landlords may enter the property. Many state laws specify when landlords may legally enter a rental property and the amount of notice required to the tenant. Landlords will sometimes include this information in the lease or rental agreement while others might not be aware of these laws and write in illegal provisions. Check your state and local access laws and make sure that your lease or rental agreement is compliant with them—illegal entry and tenant privacy violations typically have legal consequences.

After adding all of the essential information to the lease or rental agreement, you may want to tailor it to reflect the individual aspects of your rental. If a rule or regulation is pressing enough to you that you would want to terminate a tenancy if it was violated, be sure that it is included in the lease or rental agreement. Additional rules that are not as important can be written in a supplementary document. Here are some commonly included policies that are added to a lease or rental agreement:.

Attorney fees and court costs in a lawsuit. Some leases and rental agreements will define who pays the expenses of a lawsuit if the landlord and tenant go to court over a breach of your rental agreement or lease such as, a dispute about the security deposit.

Condition of the rental unit. Leases and rental agreements customarily include a provision in which the tenant agrees that the rental is an inhabitable condition when they move in and promises to alert the landlord immediately to any dangerous conditions if they occur. Extended absences. Some landlords require their tenants to notify them in advance of any extended absences they plan to be away from the premises.

This is usually anything longer than a week. Limits on guest stay. Landlords might limit overnight guests to keep long-term guests from attaining the station of full-fledged tenants who have not been screened, approved by the landlord or listed on the lease or rental agreement.

No illegal activity. Landlords can limit their potential liability by including a clause prohibiting illegal and disruptive behavior—like using drugs, dealing drugs or causing trouble. If the tenant is involved in any illegal activity, the landlord can terminate their tenancy. Landlords can prohibit all pets, or restrict the types allowed—with the exception of service and emotional support animals. If a rental is pet-friendly, it is helpful to include pet policies in the lease or rental agreement.

Examples of this would be to write out how many pets a tenant can have, what types, breeds, and sizes of animals are allowed. Restrictions on the number of occupants. Landlords will typically set a limit to the number of people who can live in their rental property. Federal law requires that landlords allow two people per bedroom. Restrictions on the use of the property.

Landlords can prohibit or restrict smoking of any kind in their rental property. If the landlord wants to limit smoking, they should include where tenants may smoke. State and local disclosures. Many state and local laws require landlords to disclose documentation, policies, or specific unit information to tenants prior to moving in.

Since these laws vary from state to state and sometimes by city or county it is important to have your agreement looked over by a landlord-tenant attorney in your state to guarantee the correct disclosures are included in your lease. Some disclosure laws impose heavy fines or legal ramifications to landlords if they are not followed. Email Delivery. Word Download. RTF Download.

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Sublease pdf word. Download Word 27 KB. Download Word 21 KB. Download Word KB. CA Rental Guide. KRS Ch. Title 70, Chapter Chapter A. Title 57 Ch. One and a half 1. New Hampshire. New Mexico. North Carolina. Rhode Island.

South Dakota. Sixty 60 days after the termination of the tenancy. Fourteen 14 days if the tenant provides the proper notice of their vacancy ; Thirty 30 days otherwise.

Sixty 60 days after the termination of the lease. Twenty-one 21 days after the tenant s move out, or within sixty 60 days after the termination of a fixed-term lease.

One 1 month after the termination of the lease, or the tenant moves-out of the rental. Twenty 20 days after the termination of the lease.

If no deductions, fifteen 15 days. If deductions are made the deposit, thirty 30 days. Thirty 30 days after the tenant moves out of the rental. Fourteen 14 days after the lease officially ends. Within thirty 30 days if established by the lease; twenty-one 21 days if not.

If the landlord makes deductions from the deposit, thirty 30 days; if no deductions, forty-five 45 days. Forty-five 45 days after the termination of the lease. Thirty 30 days after the tenant s have moved out and provided the landlord with a forwarding address. Fourteen 14 days after the tenant requests the deposit; thirty 30 days otherwise. If no response is heard within sixty 60 days, they can keep the deposit. Twenty-one 21 days for periodic leases; thirty 30 days for fixed-term leases.

Forty-five 45 days after the end of the lease with interest. Thirty 30 days after the termination of the rental contract. Thirty 30 days after the official end of the lease. Three 3 weeks after the end-date of the lease; five 5 days if the tenant was forced.

Forty-five 45 days after the lease is officially terminated. Thirty 30 days after the termination of the tenancy. Ten 10 days if no deductions and unpaid debt; thirty 30 days otherwise. Fourteen 14 days after the termination of the lease. Thirty 30 days within the termination of the rental agreement. Thirty 30 days after the rental contract is terminated. Fourteen 14 days after the tenant s have moved out of the premises. If no deductions, thirty 30 days. Thirty 30 days within the termination of the lease.

Thirty 30 days after the lease is terminated and the landlord takes possession of the rental. Forty-five 45 days after 1 the lease ends, 2 the tenant s have moved out, and 3 they have requested their deposit. Thirty-one 31 days after the lease ends and the tenant s have moved out. Thirty 30 days after the termination of the lease, or after the tenant s move out whichever comes first.

A security deposit is a set amount of money usually collected at the beginning of the lease. Landlords have the right to collect a security deposit from their tenants, but what that money can be used for is strictly determined by the security deposit laws of your state. The first step in renting out a house or an apartment is to allow people to view the property. If a tenant likes the property and wants to move in, they will make a verbal offer regarding the monthly rent.

Hosting viewings can be inconvenient if you have multiple properties, so many landlords hire a property management company to show their rental units to potential tenants. Once you agree on the rent price, the tenant needs to fill out a rental application.

This form helps the tenant show that they are trustworthy, and includes information such as their:. The tenant can confirm their workplace using an employment verification letter. This document is also an easy way for renters to show proof of income. Typically, landlords require a small, nonrefundable fee from the tenant in order to process the rental application.

Tenant screening like this can help you avoid scams and problem tenants. The cost is usually paid for by the tenant. A background check shows if the applicant has a prior criminal history, and a credit check confirms whether the applicant has good or bad credit. Bad credit may be a sign of poor financial planning, which could result in missed rent payments. Many states have strict guidelines on tenant discrimination. Refusing tenancy because of minor criminal offenses or bad credit may be justifiably considered a violation of federal anti-discrimination law.

Next, you need to check the references that the tenant included in their rental application form mentioned in step 2 above. You make a lease agreement by writing it yourself from scratch, filling in a blank lease agreement template that includes all the necessary clauses, or using a lease agreement builder to create a lease specific to your property.

You may need to calculate prorated rent depending on when the tenant moves in. Once the lease agreement is completed and signed, give the tenant the keys so they can move in to the property. To finish the process, a final walkthrough of the unit should be done alongside the tenant. Bring a rental inspection checklist with you, and document the condition of the property before the tenant moves in. Because each rental property is different and laws vary by state, your lease agreement may require additional disclosures and addendums.

These documents, attached separately to your lease agreement, inform new or current tenants about issues with your property and their rights. Federal law recognizes that landlords and tenants have individual legal rights and obligations. Find out what the law in your state says about your rights using the table below, or check the following specific laws for your property:. Tenants have the right to privacy when they rent a property.

However, there may be situations when a landlord needs to access the property, such as for maintenance or inspections. Nearly every state requires a landlord to give advance notice to their tenants before they access a rental unit.

Use the table below to check how much notice you need to give in your state, and check the relevant law:. Each state regulates the maximum amount of money a landlord can collect from a tenant as a security deposit. Some states also require landlords to return security deposits to their tenants within a certain amount of time potentially with interest.

Use the table below to see the maximum security deposit limit in your state, whether it needs to be held in a separate account, and how much time you have to refund it after the lease ends:.

If a tenant is causing problems or not paying rent, the landlord can evict them from the property using an eviction notice.