Residential Lease Agreement Template

Insert the full street address of the house including city, state and zip code.

This lease agreement template provides for a one year term, which is the most common, however the term can be longer or shorter as agreed upon by the parties. In the first blank, insert the date on which the rental term will begin. This is the date on which the tenant can take possession and begin to occupy the premises, and the date on which rent will commence. Ideally, the term will begin on the first day of a calendar month (this approach makes the accounting and record keeping easier), but it doesn't need to. In the second blank, insert the date on which the rental term will expire. For a one year term, this will be the day before the anniversary of the start date, for example: beginning on February 1, 2017, and ending on January 31, 2018.

Insert the amount of the monthly rent to be paid by tenant to landlord. The rent does not include the cost of utilities, which are separately paid for by tenant, as set forth in Section 4.

In addition to the rules set forth in this section, the landlord may wish to provide a more detailed list of house rules and regulations to the tenant. If so, the landlord should provide a copy of the rules and regulations to the tenant prior to the parties signing the rental agreement.

If the house is subject to any Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (CC&Rs), HOA agreements, or other similar instruments, copies of such documents should be given to tenant prior to the parties signing the rental agreement. If the house was built before 1978, the Lead-Based Paint Disclosure and Pamphlet (available at www.epa.gov) should be given to tenant prior to the parties signing the rental agreement. If the house was built in 1978 or later, the second paragraph of Section 6 can be deleted from the rental agreement.

If the landlord owns personal property (furniture, appliances, decorations, etc.) that is located at the premises and available for tenant's use, the landlord should keep a record of that personal property, so there is no question about it when the term expires. Such items can be listed in the blank provided in this section, or can be listed in a separate document that is attached to the rental agreement as Exhibit A. If an exhibit is used, insert the following into the blank: "see list of landlord's personal property attached hereto as Exhibit A". It might also be a good idea to take pictures and/or video of such personal property prior to delivering possession of the premises to tenant. Pictures and/or video also allow the landlord to document the condition of the premises prior to delivering possession, and when the premises are returned to landlord at the end of the term.

In the first blank, insert the amount of the security deposit. Often this amount is equal to one month's rent, however the parties may choose to agree on any amount. In the second blank, insert the portion (if any) of the security deposit that will not be refundable at the end of the term. For example, the landlord might have a policy of having the carpets professionally cleaned after each tenant, and in that case the landlord might state that $200 of the security deposit will be non-refundable. Of course, the landlord has the right to utilize the entire deposit, if necessary, toward unpaid rent or the cost of repairing any damage to the premises caused by tenant, as set forth in more detail in this section of the agreement.

Insert the names of landlord and tenant (if there are two or more tenants, insert the names of each of them) and have each person sign and date the agreement.