Residential Lease Agreement

The contract for renting a house, apartment or condo. Answer guided questions and LeaseCraft builds it with the state clauses it has on file.

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General-purpose template. Not reviewed for your state's specific requirements.

What a residential lease covers

The lease LeaseCraft prepares is organised in the order a landlord and tenant usually check it:

  • Parties and premises: landlord, tenants, the address and type of property.
  • Term: the start and end dates of a fixed-term lease.
  • Rent and late fees: the amount, the due day and any late fee you set.
  • Security deposit: the amount and how it is handled at the end of the tenancy.
  • Maintenance, utilities and occupancy: who repairs what, which utilities are included, who may live there.
  • Pets, entry and insurance: the house rules and when the landlord may enter.
  • Default, termination and state terms: what happens when a term is broken, how the lease ends, and the state disclosures and clauses our rules cover, including the lead-based paint disclosure for homes built before 1978.
  • Signatures of landlord and every tenant.

When a different agreement fits better

Leases by state: California, Texas, Florida, New York, or all states.

What to have ready

You will need answers to these 22 required questions, spread over 8 steps. The questionnaire also has optional questions, and some answers lead to follow-ups. Your answers are kept in this browser for 24 hours, so you can come back and finish (how saving works).

  1. Your lease
    • What state is the rental property in?
    • When does the lease start?
    • When does the lease end?
  2. Landlord / property owner
    • What is the landlord or property owner's full name?
    • What is the landlord's mailing address?
  3. Tenant(s)
    • What is the tenant's full legal name?
  4. Rental property
    • What is the property street address?
    • What city is the property in?
    • What is the ZIP code?
    • What type of home is this?
    • Governing law state (advanced — usually same as property)?
  5. Rent & deposit
    • How much is the monthly rent?
    • How much is the security deposit?
    • What day is rent due each month?
    • When is the first full month's rent due?
  6. Fees, term & renewal
    • Will you charge a late fee if rent is late?
    • What happens when the fixed lease term ends?
  7. Pets, parking & utilities
    • Are pets allowed?
    • Is parking included with the lease?
    • Are any utilities included in rent?
  8. Rules & disclosures
    • Was the home built before 1978? (lead-paint disclosure)
    • Smoking policy?

How it works

  1. Fill out the form

    Answer plain-language questions about the property, tenants, rent and term.

  2. Review your lease

    Preview your customized rental agreement. Make any final adjustments before downloading.

  3. Download PDF and Word

    Download your lease as a PDF and an editable Word (DOCX) file. Read every clause and change anything that does not fit before anyone signs.

What you get

State-specific clauses

Our lease generator adds lease clauses for 45 states and D.C. from the landlord-tenant rules we track for each state. These state clauses have not yet been reviewed by a licensed attorney. Check your city's rules too, and ask a local attorney about unusual situations.

Built from your answers

Rent, deposit, late fee, utilities, pets and entry terms come from the questions you answer, so the lease says what you agreed.

PDF and editable Word

The lease comes as a PDF and an editable Word (DOCX) file, so you can change any clause in Word.

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about this document type.

  • A LeaseCraft membership is $2.99/month or $19.99/year — unlimited documents from all 97 forms; yearly saves 44% against paying monthly. You can preview any document before you join. Renews monthly at $2.99/month unless canceled. Renews annually at $19.99/year unless canceled. Cancel any time; access runs to the end of the billing period you paid for. Documents you bought individually before joining are not affected.

  • When properly completed and signed, a lease may form a binding agreement, and it includes state-specific clauses where our rules cover your state. Enforceability depends on your facts, signatures, and applicable law; LeaseCraft does not guarantee legal results. For complex situations or commercial properties, have a local lawyer review it before you sign.

  • You can download your lease agreement as a PDF and an editable Word (DOCX) file. It has signature lines for the landlord and every tenant; read it through and edit the Word file before anyone signs.

  • LeaseCraft builds a general-purpose residential lease from your answers, with the state clauses we track. These state clauses have not yet been reviewed by a licensed attorney. Read every clause before you rely on it, and for complex situations, commercial properties, or unique rental terms, have a lawyer review the final lease agreement.

  • The lease generator adds state-specific clauses for 45 states and D.C.; for 5 states (AR, KY, MS, NM, TN) it uses the general template. These state clauses have not yet been reviewed by a licensed attorney. They cover security deposit rules, notice periods, and the disclosures in the state rules we track. Laws change and cities can add their own rules, so check local requirements and ask a local attorney about unusual situations.

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