Rental / Lease Agreement Generator
Generate a clean residential rental agreement covering rent, deposit, term, and house rules.
What a Solid Lease Should Cover
- Parties & property — full legal names and the complete address.
- Term — explicit start and end dates; clarify whether it converts to month-to-month at expiry.
- Rent — amount, due day, accepted payment methods, late fees, grace period.
- Security deposit — amount, how it is held, and the conditions for return.
- House rules — pets, smoking, subletting, occupancy limits, quiet hours.
- Maintenance — who is responsible for what repair category.
- Termination & default — notice periods, breach remedies, and renewal terms.
Lease vs rental agreement — pick the right one
A rental agreement is typically a short-term, automatically-renewing contract (month-to-month). A lease is a fixed-term contract for a defined period (six months, one year, two years). Month-to-month gives both sides flexibility but lets either party end the arrangement with relatively short notice (usually 30 days). A fixed-term lease locks in rent and tenancy for the period — neither side can change the deal without breaching the contract or paying agreed penalties. Choose based on goals: stability and predictable income → fixed lease; flexibility and easier turnover → month-to-month.
Clauses you cannot omit
- Parties — full legal names of landlord and every adult tenant. Anyone living there over 14 days should generally be a named tenant.
- Property — exact address including unit, parking spot, storage assignment.
- Term — start date, end date, and renewal mechanism (automatic month-to-month after the fixed term is common).
- Rent — amount, due date, accepted payment methods, late-fee schedule, returned-payment fee.
- Security deposit — amount (subject to statutory caps), what it covers, when and how it is returned. Many jurisdictions require interest-bearing accounts and itemised deductions.
- Utilities — which utilities are included in rent, which are tenant-paid, and how shared meters are split.
- Maintenance and repairs — who is responsible for what. "Tenant maintains; landlord repairs structural and major systems" is a common split.
- Entry by landlord — notice required (24 hours is typical statutory minimum), permitted reasons, emergencies.
- Pets, smoking, occupancy limits — explicit yes/no/conditional rules.
- Termination — notice periods, early termination fees, conditions for landlord termination (non-payment, breach).
Jurisdictional rules that override the contract
Rental contracts cannot waive statutory tenant rights. In the UK, the Tenant Fees Act 2019 limits deposits to five weeks' rent and prohibits most upfront fees. In California, security deposits are capped at one month's rent (residential) under AB 12 effective July 2024. New York City rent stabilisation governs hundreds of thousands of units and overrides contract terms on rent increases and tenancy duration. Always note which jurisdiction's law governs and verify clauses do not conflict with statute.
A solid late-fee clause
"Rent is due on the 1st of each month. If rent remains unpaid after the 5th, a late fee of $75 applies, plus $10 per additional day up to a maximum of $200 per month. Returned payments incur a $35 fee. Repeated late payment (three or more occasions in any twelve-month period) may be treated as a material breach of this agreement." — Specific, capped, and proportionate, which is what enforceability requires.