Lease agreement template

A free residential lease agreement, with your state’s rules already in it.

A simple rental agreement form a landlord can actually sign: pick the state, fill in what you know, and download it as Word or PDF. The deposit, late fee, entry and notice clauses follow that state’s statutes, and anything you leave blank prints as a line to write on.

State

Landlord

Tenant or tenants

Property address

Monthly rent

Rent due on day

Term

Starts

Ends

Security deposit

Late fee

Pets allowed

Everything is optional. A blank field prints as a line to fill in by hand. The lease is written in English, as a US lease is signed.

The lease is built in your browser. Nothing you type is stored or sent.

What is in it

Every clause a residential lease needs, and none you have to explain away.

Short numbered articles in plain English. The ones a state regulates are written to that state’s statute and cite it, so a tenant or a judge can see where each rule comes from.

Rent and late fees
Amount, due day, how it is paid, proration for a part month, and a late fee inside whatever limit and grace period your state sets.
Security deposit
The amount, your state’s cap where it has one, and the number of days you have to return it with an itemized list of deductions.
Term and ending
A fixed term that rolls to month to month, or month to month from the start, with the notice your state requires to end it.
Landlord’s entry
When you may enter, for what, and how much notice you give first, as your state’s statute puts it.
Repairs and condition
Who fixes what, a move-in checklist, reporting damage in writing, and normal wear and tear kept out of deductions.
Pets, alterations, subletting
Consent in writing for each, with assistance animals allowed as fair housing law requires.
Lead-based paint
The federal disclosure every home built before 1978 needs, with a box to tick for the year the property was built.
State disclosures
The notices your state adds on top, such as mold, flood risk or the owner’s address, listed with the statute that asks for each.

By state

The lease rules in every state, side by side.

Four figures decide most of a lease: how big a deposit may be, how fast it comes back, how much notice you give before entering, and how much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy. Open a state for its template and the statutes behind each figure.

State	Deposit cap	Deposit back within	Notice to enter	Ending month to month
Alabama	1 month’s rent	60 days	48 hours	30 days
Alaska	2 months’ rent	14 days	24 hours	30 days
Arizona	1.5 months’ rent	14 days	48 hours	30 days
Arkansas	2 months’ rent	60 days	No statute	30 days
California	1 month’s rent	21 days	24 hours	60 days
Colorado	2 months’ rent	30 days	No statute	21 days
Connecticut	2 months’ rent	21 days	Reasonable notice	3 days
Delaware	1 month’s rent	20 days	48 hours	60 days
Florida	No cap	15 days	24 hours	30 days
Georgia	2 months’ rent	30 days	No statute	60 days
Hawaii	1 month’s rent	14 days	48 hours	45 days
Idaho	No cap	21 days	No statute	30 days
Illinois	No cap	30 days	No statute	30 days
Indiana	No cap	45 days	Reasonable notice	30 days
Iowa	2 months’ rent	30 days	24 hours	30 days
Kansas	1 month’s rent	30 days	Reasonable notice	30 days
Kentucky	No cap	No statute	48 hours	30 days
Louisiana	No cap	30 days	No statute	10 days
Maine	2 months’ rent	30 days	Reasonable notice	30 days
Maryland	1 month’s rent	45 days	24 hours	60 days
Massachusetts	1 month’s rent	30 days	No statute	30 days
Michigan	1.5 months’ rent	30 days	No statute	30 days
Minnesota	No cap	21 days	24 hours	30 days
Mississippi	No cap	45 days	No statute	30 days
Missouri	2 months’ rent	30 days	No statute	30 days
Montana	No cap	30 days	24 hours	30 days
Nebraska	1 month’s rent	14 days	24 hours	30 days
Nevada	3 months’ rent	30 days	24 hours	30 days
New Hampshire	1 month’s rent	30 days	Reasonable notice	30 days
New Jersey	1.5 months’ rent	30 days	Reasonable notice	30 days
New Mexico	1 month’s rent	30 days	24 hours	30 days
New York	1 month’s rent	14 days	No statute	30 days
North Carolina	2 months’ rent	30 days	No statute	7 days
North Dakota	1 month’s rent	30 days	Reasonable notice	30 days
Ohio	No cap	30 days	24 hours	30 days
Oklahoma	No cap	45 days	24 hours	30 days
Oregon	No cap	31 days	24 hours	30 days
Pennsylvania	2 months’ rent	30 days	No statute	15 days
Rhode Island	1 month’s rent	20 days	48 hours	30 days
South Carolina	No cap	30 days	24 hours	30 days
South Dakota	1 month’s rent	21 days	24 hours	30 days
Tennessee	No cap	No statute	No statute	30 days
Texas	No cap	30 days	No statute	30 days
Utah	No cap	30 days	24 hours	15 days
Vermont	No cap	14 days	48 hours	30 days
Virginia	2 months’ rent	45 days	72 hours	30 days
Washington	No cap	30 days	48 hours	90 days
West Virginia	No cap	60 days	No statute	30 days
Wisconsin	No cap	21 days	12 hours	28 days
Wyoming	No cap	30 days	No statute	30 days

The whole lease

Read every word before you download it.

This is the lease as it prints, with a line wherever your details go. The Word and PDF files carry exactly this text, with what you filled in above written into the lines.

RESIDENTIAL LEASE AGREEMENT

1. Parties

This Residential Lease Agreement is made between ____________________ ("Landlord") and ____________________ ("Tenant"). Each person signing as Tenant is jointly and severally responsible for every obligation in this lease.

2. Property

Landlord rents to Tenant the residential property at ____________________ (the "Property"), together with any furnishings and appliances listed in the move-in checklist.

3. Term

This lease begins on ____________________ and ends on ____________________. If Tenant stays on with Landlord's consent after that date and no new lease is signed, the tenancy continues from month to month on the same terms.

4. Rent

Tenant will pay rent of $____________________ per month, in advance, on or before the ____________________ day of each month, by the method Landlord designates in writing. Rent for any partial month is prorated by the day.

5. Late charges

If rent is not paid in full within ____________________ days after it is due, Tenant will pay a late charge of $____________________. The late charge must be reasonable and may not exceed what state or local law allows.

6. Security deposit

Tenant will pay a security deposit of $____________________ on or before signing this lease. Landlord will return the deposit, less any lawful deductions itemized in writing, within the time state law requires after the tenancy ends and Tenant returns possession. The deposit may not be used by Tenant as the last month of rent unless Landlord agrees in writing.

7. Use and occupancy

The Property is to be used only as a private residence. Only the persons named as Tenant and the following occupants may live there: ____________________. A guest staying more than 14 days in any six-month period needs Landlord's written consent.

8. Utilities

Tenant will arrange and pay for all utilities and services except the following, which Landlord will provide: ____________________.

9. Condition, maintenance and repairs

Tenant has inspected the Property and will sign a move-in checklist recording its condition. Tenant will keep the Property clean and sanitary, use appliances and fixtures reasonably, and promptly tell Landlord in writing of any damage or needed repair. Landlord will keep the Property fit to live in and make repairs required by law within a reasonable time. Tenant will pay for damage caused by Tenant, occupants or guests, beyond normal wear and tear.

10. Landlord's entry

Landlord may enter the Property at reasonable times to inspect, make repairs, or show the Property to prospective tenants, buyers or lenders, after giving Tenant at least 24 hours' notice. Landlord may enter without notice in an emergency.

11. Pets

No pets may be kept on the Property without Landlord's prior written consent. Assistance animals are allowed as fair housing law requires.

12. Alterations

Tenant will not paint, alter, add locks to or make improvements to the Property without Landlord's prior written consent.

13. Subletting and assignment

Tenant will not sublet any part of the Property or assign this lease without Landlord's prior written consent.

14. Renter's insurance

Landlord's insurance does not cover Tenant's belongings or liability. Landlord recommends that Tenant carry renter's insurance.

15. Moving out

When the tenancy ends, Tenant will return all keys and leave the Property clean and in the same condition as at move-in, except for normal wear and tear. Property left behind will be handled as state law provides.

16. Default

If Tenant fails to pay rent or breaks a material term of this lease, Landlord may end the tenancy only as state law allows, after any notice it requires. Landlord will not lock Tenant out, remove Tenant's belongings or shut off utilities to force Tenant to leave.

17. Lead-based paint

Housing built before 1978 may contain lead-based paint. If the Property was built before 1978, Landlord has given Tenant the EPA pamphlet "Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home" and a signed Lead-Based Paint Disclosure, as 42 U.S.C. 4852d and 40 CFR Part 745 require. The Property was built: [ ] before 1978 [ ] in 1978 or later

18. Notices

Notices to Landlord go to: ____________________. Notices to Tenant go to the Property. A notice is given when delivered by hand or by mail, or by email if both parties agree to it in writing.

19. Entire agreement

This lease, its addenda and the move-in checklist are the whole agreement between Landlord and Tenant. Any change must be in writing and signed by both. If any part of this lease is unenforceable, the rest remains in effect. This lease is governed by the law of the state where the Property is located.

Signatures

Landlord: ____________________ Date: ____________________

Tenant: ____________________ Date: ____________________

Template by Dardaris (dardaris.com). It is not legal advice. City and county ordinances can add rules of their own, so check them before signing.

Using it

From blank form to signed lease.

Step 1
Fill in what you know
Names, address, rent, deposit, dates. Leave anything uncertain blank and it prints as a line.
Step 2
Download Word or PDF
Word if you want to edit the wording, PDF if you want to print it as it stands.
Step 3
Check your city
Rent control, registration and extra notices are often local. A city rule overrides the template where they differ.
Step 4
Walk through, then sign
Fill in the move-in checklist together, give the lead-paint disclosure if the home is older than 1978, and sign.

Lease agreement questions

Is this lease agreement really free?

Yes. There is no account, no email and no watermark. Fill it in, download it as Word or PDF, and use it as often as you like.

What is the difference between a lease agreement and a rental agreement?

In everyday use, a lease runs for a fixed term, often a year, and a rental agreement runs month to month. This template does both: choose a fixed term or month to month and the ending clause changes to match.

Does a lease have to be in writing?

In most states a lease longer than a year has to be in writing to be enforceable, and a shorter one does not. A written lease is still the only way to prove what was agreed about rent, the deposit and repairs when it matters.

Does the lease need to be notarized?

Almost never for a residential lease. Both parties sign and each keeps a copy. A handful of states ask for witnesses or recording only for long leases, usually over three years.

Can I edit the template?

Yes. Download the Word version and change any wording you need. Keep the clauses your state regulates within its limits: a lease term that breaks a statute is simply unenforceable.

The lease is the start. Dardaris runs everything after it.

Draw up the lease, send it for e-signature, then let Dardaris match the rent as it arrives, chase what is late and keep the move-in inspection that every deposit deduction depends on.

Signed onlineThe tenant signs from a link, with a code to confirm it is them, and the signed copy files itself.
Rent that is watchedEvery payment matched to the lease, and late ones chased inside the limits the lease sets.
An inspection on fileThe move-in inspection is booked, signed by both of you and filed with the lease, so a deduction at move-out has something to stand on.

The number is the easy part.

Dardaris keeps the lease, raises the invoice, matches the payment and writes down what it did. Bring one building and watch a month before you decide anything.

Start with one building

14 days before the first charge · Nothing is switched on until you say so