Generate a Residential Lease Agreement with LegalZone
Whether you’re a new tenant or a landlord, it’s imperative to set up a lease agreement whenever you rent property.
What Is a Lease?
A residential lease agreement can be called many things: a lease agreement, a rental agreement, a rental lease agreement, a rental contract, an apartment lease, a house rental agreement, or a lease form.
No matter what you call it, a lease is a contract between a landlord and a tenant that outlines the agreement between the two parties for the tenant’s use of a commercial or residential space. Residential lease agreements specifically refer to the tenancy of a residential property such as a house, apartment, condo, duplex, and townhouse.
What Is Included in a Residential Lease Agreement?
The residential lease agreement will cover various topics depending on the property, but you can generally expect to find:
- Contact Information for both parties
- Detailed information about the property
- Terms of the lease
- Payment information regarding monthly payments and security deposit
- Rental obligations and rights
- Information regarding how to resolve issues and who is responsible for certain damages
More detailed lease agreements may include things like:
- rules/fees for pet ownership
- specifications on what furnishings/appliances the rental includes
- assignment of a property manager or superintendent
- guarantor information
- specifications on sub-leasing or putting the place up on AirBNB
- other conditions agreed on between the landlord and tenant
Who Needs a Residential Lease Agreement?
Anyone renting a property—whether you’re the landlord or the tenant.
Official lease agreements provide documentation of the terms of the lease and can give you legal protection in case of a breach of contract.
Can I Make My Own Lease Agreement?
Yes! In fact, LegalZone makes it easy to draft your own lease agreement with the help of one of our customizable templates. We’ll make sure you have all the details you need along with all the terms you want to include.
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What Is a Standard Residential Lease?
The standard residential lease is the most commonly adopted agreement between landlords and tenants. It’s the most general form of lease agreement, and you can download a PDF of it and fill in the blanks.
What Should Be Included in a Residential Lease Agreement?
On top of the standard information about the procedures for contacting each other and submitting your payments, you can add any details you want.
If you’re a tenant and want permission to paint the walls, you can include that in the lease agreement. And the landlord may want to add that the walls have to be painted back to a neutral color before termination of the lease.
If you’re a landlord renting a house with a shed in the back and you don’t want the tenants to use the shed, you can include that in the lease agreement.
The more detailed your lease agreement is, the more protection it offers.
What’s the Difference Between a Lease and a Rental Agreement?
The main difference between a lease agreement and a rental agreement depends on the duration of occupation. Rental agreements typically only last 30 days, while the standard lease is good for a year.
However, most people tend to use these terms interchangeably, so it’s essential to establish the length of the lease at the very beginning.
Creating Your Residential Lease Agreement with LegalZone
With our easy-to-use online generator, you can have a lease agreement that contains all of your desired specifications within minutes. LegalZone makes it accessible for anyone to get access to the best legal templates.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re more than happy to help.
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