A residential lease that explains everyday responsibilities

RESIDENTIAL LEASE

Demand Signatures is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. This template is general information and may not fit your situation. Consult an attorney about your document and applicable requirements.

IMPORTANT NOTICES

General information, not state-specific legal advice. Review the full agreement and required attachments before use.

DRAFT ONLY. State/local disclosures and execution requirements are not supplied by this general template. Download for local review; no direct signature handoff.

PEOPLE AND HOME

[Landlord legal name], [Landlord mailing address] (Landlord), rents [Property address], including [Included spaces], to the following adult tenants:

[Adult tenants]

Authorized occupants are [Authorized occupants]. The home is for residential use. Lawful reasonable accommodation and other mandatory rights are not restricted by occupancy or use rules. Owner/agent information and service address are [Owner/agent information and service address]. Emergency repair contact: [Emergency repair contact].

Notice email for [Landlord legal name]: [Landlord notice email].

TERM AND POSSESSION

The term begins [Lease start date] and ends [Lease end date]. Landlord will provide lawful possession and the agreed keys/access devices at the start. If possession is delayed, rent does not accrue before lawful possession is available, subject to any greater tenant rights. The parties will address delay remedies under applicable law. At the end, continuation or termination follows applicable notice and renewal law and any later signed agreement; this document does not promise automatic eviction or silently renew for another fixed term.

RENT

Monthly rent is [Currency] [Monthly rent], due on day [Rent due day of the month] of each month using [Payment method] at [Payment destination]. First-period rent is [Currency] [First-period rent] for [First-period dates], due [First payment due date]. Rent includes [Charges included in rent]. Additional recurring charges expressly agreed are [Additional recurring charges], subject to law. No mid-term increase is authorized by this fixed-term lease. Mandatory rent restrictions and lawful tenant remedies control.

DEPOSIT

No security deposit is collected under this lease.

UTILITIES AND SERVICES

Landlord pays [Utilities and services Landlord pays]; Tenant pays [Utilities and services Tenant pays]. No undisclosed allocation formula applies. Landlord will not interrupt essential services as a method of collecting rent or removing occupants.

CONDITION AND REPAIRS

The parties will record move-in condition, keys and any supplied furnishings in [Move-in condition record]; signing that record does not waive latent defects or legal habitability rights. Landlord will maintain the home and common areas as required by law. Tenant will keep the home reasonably clean, use equipment safely and promptly report problems through [Routine repair contact]. Tenant is responsible for damage caused by their or their guests' negligent or intentional acts to the extent allowed by law, not ordinary wear. Tenant should report emergencies immediately. No clause requires Tenant to waive lawful repair, rent or habitability remedies.

ACCESS AND PRIVACY

Landlord may enter only for a lawful reason, at lawful times and after notice required by applicable law, except where an emergency or another lawful exception applies. Tenant will not unreasonably refuse lawful access. Routine repair communications do not create blanket consent to entry.

USE, GUESTS AND ALTERATIONS

Tenant will respect neighbors, follow lawful attached building rules and not conduct unlawful activity. Guest arrangements are [Guest arrangements], subject to applicable occupancy and accommodation law. Structural changes, lock changes and installation of fixtures require written agreement except where law gives otherwise. Landlord may not unreasonably withhold a consent when law requires reasonableness. Assignment, subletting and short-term hosting require prior written agreement subject to any mandatory rights; no illegal fee or categorical waiver is created.

PETS

Pets require written agreement.

Assistance animals and requests for reasonable accommodation are evaluated under applicable law and are not treated as ordinary pets.

DAMAGE, DEFAULT AND ENDING

If casualty makes the home unsafe or unusable, the parties' repair, abatement and termination rights follow applicable law; rent is not accelerated automatically. On a breach, notices, cure opportunities and remedies follow applicable law. There is no consent to lockout, utility shutoff, seizure of belongings or removal without lawful process. Statutory early-termination rights, including applicable military and survivor protections, remain. At lawful move-out Tenant will return access devices, remove belongings subject to applicable law and leave the home reasonably clean, ordinary wear excepted. Landlord will handle abandoned property under applicable law. Any liability for remaining rent is subject to required mitigation and cannot produce double recovery.

DISCLOSURES AND ATTACHMENTS

Attachments forming part of this lease are [Attachments forming part of this lease]. Required local disclosures and applicable lead disclosures must be provided at the legally required time. A checked field is not delivery evidence. Do not sign an incomplete disclosure packet.

Year the home was built: [Year the home was built].

Review most pre-1978 housing against the EPA disclosure requirements (https://www.epa.gov/lead/real-estate-disclosures-about-potential-lead-hazards); attach the required warning/acknowledgment, available reports and pamphlet where applicable. Electronic disclosure has additional consent/access requirements.

LOCAL LAW, NOTICES AND AGREEMENT

The law where the home is located ([State where the home is located]) governs, including applicable local rules. Legal notices must use required content, timing and delivery methods; the contact emails above are for ordinary communications unless lawful electronic service is separately established. Changes require a written agreement except changes expressly allowed by law. Mandatory rights prevail over conflicting language. If a term is unenforceable, the rest continues to the extent lawful. This lease and its listed attachments state the agreement; neither a house rule nor a rider may waive rights that cannot lawfully be waived. Electronic execution is used only when permitted and consented to. Each party receives the complete signed packet.

SIGNATURES

Landlord: ____________________

Signature: ____________________ Date: ____________________

Tenant 1: ____________________

Signature: ____________________ Date: ____________________