Free Rental Lease Template — Fill & Sign Online
A residential lease is the contract between a landlord and a tenant: who lives where, for how long, for how much rent, and who fixes what. A fixed-term lease (usually 12 months) locks in both sides; a month-to-month agreement renews automatically and can be ended with proper notice. For a small landlord, the lease is the single document a judge will read first if the tenancy ever ends up in court.
Put every tenancy in writing — including renewals, and especially rentals to friends or family, where “we’ll sort it out” arrangements go wrong most often. Landlord-tenant law is heavily state-specific: security-deposit caps, deposit return deadlines, late-fee limits, entry notice and required disclosures all vary, so a lease written for another state can be partly unenforceable in yours. Start from a checklist like the one below and verify each item against your state’s rules.
Self-signing is free, local & private — never uploaded. Sending for signature needs a free account (just your email).
What every lease needs
- Parties & property — every adult tenant named, full address including unit
- Term — start and end dates, and what happens at expiry (renew, month-to-month, or vacate)
- Rent — amount, due date, grace period, late fee (within your state’s cap), and accepted payment methods
- Security deposit — amount (state caps apply) and the return deadline with an itemized deduction statement
- Maintenance split — landlord handles habitability and repairs; tenant handles cleanliness, damage and reporting issues promptly
- Entry notice — typically 24–48 hours except emergencies
- House rules — pets, smoking, subletting, guest limits, utilities and who pays which
- Required disclosures — federal lead-paint disclosure for pre-1978 housing, plus your state’s list
Mistakes small landlords make
- Using an out-of-state template — deposit caps, late-fee rules and disclosures don’t travel across state lines
- Skipping the move-in condition checklist with photos, then losing the deposit dispute a year later
- Collecting a deposit above the state cap, which can expose you to penalties
- Leaving utilities ambiguous — “tenant pays utilities” without naming which ones
Common questions
Can a lease be signed electronically?
Yes — electronic signatures on residential leases are valid under the US ESIGN Act and state equivalents (UETA). E-signing also fixes a practical problem: getting landlord and several tenants into one room. Everyone signs from their own phone, and each party gets the completed copy with a tamper-evident audit trail.
Fixed-term or month-to-month — which should I offer?
Fixed-term gives you predictable occupancy and locks the rent; month-to-month gives both sides flexibility and lets you adjust terms with proper notice. Many landlords start with a 12-month term, then let it roll into month-to-month — if you do, make sure the lease says exactly that, including the notice period.
What disclosures am I legally required to make?
Federally: the lead-based-paint disclosure and EPA pamphlet for housing built before 1978. On top of that, states add their own — mold, bed bugs, flood zones, prior meth contamination, deposit-holding details, and more. Check your state’s landlord-tenant statute before signing; a missing required disclosure can cost far more than the lease is worth.
This page is general information for small businesses — not legal advice. For your specific situation, talk to a licensed attorney in your state.