How to Write a House Lease

A house lease is a legal contract between you and your tenant. It is the list of items that you guarantee to provide and the conditions that the tenant agrees to abide by. It is important that the lease outlines what you expect from the tenant, including the amount of rent, which should be paid. It is important that nothing in the lease violates the tenant's rights. Creating a lease can potentially cost you nothing if you have friends who are professionals and willing to help you out; otherwise you may need to pay for a lawyer. You should spend a couple days at least creating the lease so you have plenty of time to think of all the possibilities.

Things You'll Need

• Other leases Access to legal advice and a professional landlord

Instructions

How to Write a House Lease

1. Review other leases. Read over several other leases being used by other landlords. You can get these by requesting copies of leases from landlords you know or meet. You can also contact your local landlord association for a sample lease.

2. Make a list of rules you want your tenant to follow. Take a minute to really think about this. This can include no pets, no smoking, the number of cars allowed, and how much notice they need to give to move out. You also want to write down when you expect the rent to be paid, if you are going to offer a grace period, and what the late fee will be.

3. Type a draft of your lease. Use the leases you read over as a jumping-off point for the format, and then add in all the rules and points you want the tenant to follow. It is essential that everything is put into writing should you ever need to go to court for an eviction. Be sure to include what personal information the tenant needs to fill in and where you and the tenant sign the lease.

4. Ask some professionals to read over your draft. This should include a lawyer to make sure nothing in your lease violates the law. For example, you cannot have any restrictions on the race, gender, religion or sexual orientation of the people you accept as tenants. Also have an experienced landlord read over your lease to see if she has any suggestions of things you should add or take out.

5. Type the final draft. Once the lease has been reviewed by others, and you have made any needed revisions, go ahead and create a final copy. Type it up and save an electronic copy so you can use the same lease again in the future.

Tips & Warnings

• You can purchase lease templates at most office supply stores. If you have nothing to start with, you can purchase one to get you started.

• Take your time creating the lease. Once it is signed, you cannot make changes to it.

Resources

• Lake Erie Landlords Association