Residential Lease Agreement Template
A residential lease is the written agreement that sets rent, term, and responsibilities between a landlord and a tenant. Download the ready-to-fill template below, or read the field-by-field checklist first — it covers what every lease should include and the mistakes that cause disputes later.
Download the Residential Lease Agreement
A complete, ready-to-fill PDF — 16 clauses, blanks for every detail, and a signature block for each party. Free, no email, no account. Read it and adapt it before you use it; the cover page explains what it can and cannot do for you.
Need the other party to sign it too? Send it for signature with a full audit trail and a tamper-evident seal on the finished file — they never need an account. See pricing.
This is a template, not legal advice
This document is a general-purpose template provided for information only. It is not legal advice, it does not create a lawyer–client relationship, and nobody has reviewed it against your situation.
Laws differ by country, state and province, and they change. A clause that is standard in one place can be unenforceable — or illegal — in another. Terms that are ordinary between two businesses can be void in a consumer or employment context.
Read every clause before you use it, fill in every blank, and delete anything that does not apply. For anything high-value, unusual, or that you could not afford to lose a dispute over, have a qualified lawyer in your jurisdiction review it before it is signed.
This kind of document is regulated differently almost everywhere. Many places require specific notices, disclosures or statutory wording, and some make clauses like these unenforceable outright. Treat this template as a starting point to take to a local lawyer, not as a document to sign as-is.
What to include in a lease agreement
These are the fields and clauses a residential lease needs. Leaving one out doesn’t necessarily void the lease, but each gap is a spot where a landlord and tenant can end up disagreeing about what they actually agreed to.
- Landlord & tenant names
- Property address
- Lease term & start/end dates
- Monthly rent & due date
- Security deposit amount
- Late fee terms
- Utilities responsibility
- Pet policy
- Maintenance responsibilities
- Signatures & date
What each clause is for
Landlord & tenant names. Every adult who will live in the unit and be responsible for rent should be named as a tenant — not just the person who signed up to view it. Use full legal names, not nicknames.
Property address. The full address, including unit number, and — for shared or partially furnished properties — a note on what’s included (parking spot, storage unit, appliances).
Lease term & start/end dates. State whether it’s a fixed term (e.g., 12 months) or month-to-month, and exactly what happens at the end: automatic renewal, conversion to month-to-month, or hard end date requiring a new agreement.
Monthly rent & due date. The amount, the day it’s due each month, accepted payment methods, and what counts as “on time” if the due date falls on a weekend or holiday.
Security deposit amount. How much, where it’s held, and the conditions for return — many jurisdictions cap the amount and set a legal deadline for returning it after move-out, so check local limits before setting this figure.
Late fee terms. The grace period (if any), the flat fee or percentage charged after it, and any cap — some states limit how much a landlord can charge for late rent.
Utilities responsibility. Which utilities are included in rent and which the tenant sets up and pays directly — electricity, gas, water, trash, internet.
Pet policy. Whether pets are allowed at all, any breed or size restrictions, and any pet deposit or monthly pet rent — stated separately from the general security deposit.
Maintenance responsibilities. What the landlord is responsible for repairing (structural, plumbing, appliances) versus what falls to the tenant (lightbulbs, lawn care, minor upkeep), and how to report an issue.
Signatures & date. Every named tenant and the landlord (or their authorized agent) signs and dates the lease. An unsigned lease is just a draft — it isn’t a binding agreement until every party has signed it.
Common mistakes to watch for
- Verbal side agreements. If a landlord and tenant agree to something outside the written lease — a rent discount, a pet exception — and it isn’t written in, it’s effectively unenforceable if either side later disputes it.
- Vague deposit terms. “Deposit returned if the unit is in good condition” invites disagreement. Spell out the process: move-in inspection, move-out inspection, and the timeline for returning the deposit (or itemizing deductions) after the tenant leaves.
- Missing a named adult occupant. If someone is living in the unit but never signed the lease, the landlord has a much weaker position enforcing rent or rules against them.
- Ignoring local caps and notice rules. Late fee caps, security deposit limits, and required notice periods before entry or non-renewal are set locally and vary widely — copying a generic template without checking them is a common source of unenforceable clauses.
Get your lease signed
Fill in the template above and send it to your tenant for signature with a free Evenseal account — 5 documents a month, no card required. Only need your own copy signed? Self-sign for free with no account at /sign-pdf.
Not legal advice — for anything unusual or in a jurisdiction with strict tenant protections, have a local attorney review your lease.