Where To Download A Lease Agreement Template
Where can you find a suitable free lease agreement, in order to modify it to suit your needs? Yes, there may be many places to find one but some are much better than others. If you are looking for a free one, then by all means search online because that is the place to download one for free.
The question is, how accurate are the ones online? As far as the basics of a lease agreement go, they should be fairly similar. However depending on what country or state if in the U.S. you get it from, some vary as to local laws and even local customs. Not everything is “black and white” about rental agreements which is why you need to get every detail in writing, from how much the rent costs, when it’s due, what happens if the tenant doesn’t pay, to even the details of who is responsible for fixing things in the home or apartment.
Here are some typical sticking points that cause problems for landlords and tenants when everything is not put into the lease agreement:
Parking – Where can they park? If there is sufficient parking available, this may not be a problem. However many developments and apartments have little parking, and what is available may not be properly marked.
Utilities – Who is responsible for all of the utilities? Make sure this is clear, normally the tenant is responsible but in some larger cities where the rent is very high, utilities are expected to be covered by the landlord. Don’t leave it up to chance, make sure you know how this will be dealt with.
Pets – This is one problem that so many tenants have problems with, they expect that their pets are automatically welcome in any apartment or home they are leasing. The truth is, many landlords don’t allow them, or will limit the kind of pets or weight of a pet even to keep problems to a minimum. Also many landlords allow pets but will charge an extra deposit on top of the regular deposit, to account for the possibility of added damages done by the pets. Get it in writing if you plan on doing this, otherwise you may have a battle on your hands in court.
Late charges – If a tenant fails to pay on time, can you charge a late fee? Of course in most states this is common practice. However it must be written into the agreement to be valid, so make sure you state how much the late fee is and how long after the normal period of time that is will be charged. Will you charge a late fee after one day; maybe after 10 days? Also if the tenant fails to pay after 30 days, can you kick them out?
Removing tenants – Many people are under the impression that it’s easy to just force a person to leave your property as soon as the rent is late by 30 days. However, in most states tenants have certain rights, and must be legally removed with a court order. Make sure you do your research with the local courthouse, otherwise you may be in big trouble with the local sheriffs office for illegally evicting a tenant without giving proper notice.
Yes there are rules to follow in every state you live in for lease agreements, so find a basic free lease agreement and add the details to suit your personal needs and desires, and cover yourself in the case of a bad tenant to make life easier not only for yourself, but them as well.