How to Write an Apartment Lease

An apartment lease contains all of the important information pertaining to the rental agreement between a landlord and tenants. The lease is considered a legal document and can be used to settle disputes between the two parties. If you need to write an apartment lease, just follow the steps below.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. You must include the names of the prospective tenants. Only people whose names are listed on the official lease can be held accountable.

2. Identify the address of the rental property, including the apartment or house number, street, city and zip code.

3. Include the amount of rent and how often the tenants are to pay it. Most leases require weekly or monthly payment. You must also include the duration of the lease, such as six months or one year.

4. Decide whether or not you will require a security deposit. If so, include the amount of the deposit in the lease, as well as when the tenant should give it to you.

5. List additional information, such as your policies on pets and subletting, what tenants should do if repairs are needed and what alterations, if any, the tenants can make to the apartment.

6. Outline which services the tenant is responsible for and which services the landlord will cover. For example, some landlords handle lawn care and snow removal while others leave those duties up to the tenants. Some landlords pay for certain services, such as trash or water. Be sure to explicitly cover what each party is responsible for in the lease.

7. Make sure you and all of the tenants sign the lease. If one or both parties don't sign the document, it's considered invalid. Keep the original lease and make copies for yourself and each of the tenants.