Free Residential Lease Agreement
Build a residential lease, send it to your tenant, and get a signed, legally binding PDF back. No printing, no scanning, no per-document fees.
Legally binding · audit trail · no watermark
Residential Lease Agreement
- Landlord and tenant names and contact details
- Property address and description
- Lease term with start and end dates
- Monthly rent amount, due date, and payment method
- Security deposit amount and terms
- Rules for pets, utilities, and maintenance responsibilities
What is a Residential Lease Agreement?
A residential lease agreement is a contract between a landlord and a tenant that sets the terms for renting a home, apartment, or room. It spells out the rent, the term, the deposit, and the rules both sides agree to follow. Once signed, it gives each party a clear, enforceable record of the deal.
When to use it
- Renting out a house, apartment, condo, or single room to a new tenant
- Renewing or extending a lease at the end of a fixed term
- Converting a month-to-month arrangement into a fixed-term lease
- Setting clear rules on rent, deposits, pets, and maintenance before move-in
- Adding a co-tenant or replacing a roommate on an existing tenancy
- Documenting a sublease with the landlord's written consent
What's included
This template comes ready with the fields you need:
- Landlord and tenant names and contact details
- Property address and description
- Lease term with start and end dates
- Monthly rent amount, due date, and payment method
- Security deposit amount and terms
- Rules for pets, utilities, and maintenance responsibilities
- Signature field for each party
- Date signed
Create & sign your Residential Lease Agreement online
Prepare the lease
Start from the residential lease template and fill in the landlord and tenant, the property address, the monthly rent and its due date, the security deposit amount, and any house rules for pets, utilities, or parking.
Send it to landlord and tenant
Add signature, initials, and date fields and assign them to the landlord and tenant, then send the lease by email or share a link — in signing order or both at once, with an optional access code for privacy.
Store the signed lease
Landlord and tenant each receive the sealed lease PDF — the exact terms signed, tamper-evident — while the audit trail logs who signed and when. Keep it on file for the whole tenancy in case deposit or rent disputes surface.
What landlords should verify before signing
Before you send a lease for signature, check the details that cause the most disputes later: the tenants' full legal names (every adult occupant who should be on the lease), the exact property address including the unit, the rent amount and due date, and the deposit figure with the conditions for keeping any of it.
Local law matters more in leases than in almost any other agreement — deposit caps, notice periods, and required disclosures vary widely by jurisdiction. Treat the template as your starting structure and adapt those clauses to the rules that apply where the property sits.
Once landlord and tenant have signed, both keep a sealed, tamper-evident copy, and the audit trail records who signed and when. Store it for the full tenancy — and past it, until any deposit disputes or claim windows have closed.
Residential Lease Agreement FAQs
How much can I charge for a security deposit, and when do I have to return it?
There's no single national rule — many states cap the deposit at one to two months' rent, while others set no limit at all. Most states also require you to return it within a set window, often 14 to 60 days, along with an itemized list of any deductions for damage beyond normal wear and tear. This is general information rather than legal advice, so check your state and city rules, since deposit caps and return deadlines vary widely.
What disclosures does a residential lease need to include?
For any home built before 1978, U.S. federal law requires a lead-based paint disclosure and the accompanying EPA pamphlet. Beyond that, states and cities add their own — common ones cover mold, bed-bug history, flood risk, who manages the property, and where the deposit is held. Requirements differ a lot by location, so treat this as a starting point and not legal advice, and confirm what your jurisdiction mandates before move-in.
What's the difference between a fixed-term lease and a month-to-month agreement?
A fixed-term lease locks in the rent and the move-out date for a set period, usually six or twelve months, and neither side can change the terms until it ends. A month-to-month agreement renews automatically and lets either party end it with notice — commonly 30 days, though some states require more. When a fixed term expires, it often rolls into a month-to-month tenancy unless you sign a renewal.
Can I charge a late fee if the tenant pays rent late?
Usually yes, but only if the late fee is written into the lease, and many states cap how much you can charge or require a grace period of a few days first. A fee that's unreasonably high can be struck down if a tenant challenges it. Because these limits change from state to state and even city to city, take this as general guidance and check your local rent rules before settling on a number.
If my tenant signs the lease online, will it hold up in an eviction or small-claims dispute?
Yes. Under the U.S. ESIGN Act and UETA — and eIDAS in the EU — a lease signed electronically carries the same weight as one signed in ink. Every lease completed through tuyaform comes back as a tamper-evident PDF with a Certificate of Completion that logs each signer's name, email, timestamp, and IP address, so you can show exactly who agreed to what if it's ever questioned. tuyaform isn't a law firm, so for an actual eviction follow your local court's procedures.
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