Residential Lease Agreement Templates – 50 States

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A residential lease agreement is a real estate contract that allows for the occupation of livable property in exchange for payment, usually due on the first (1st) of every month.

The agreement is between a lessor, known as the landlord or property manager, and a lessee, known as the tenant or individual(s) living on the premises. Before a lease is signed the lessee is usually screened through a rental application or by the lessor viewing their credit report. After reviewing the lessee’s credentials the lessor will make a determination on whether to approve the lessee as well as how much to accept for the Security Deposit.

State by State Residential Leases

Alabama	Hawaii	Massachusetts	New Mexico	South Dakota
Alaska	Idaho	Michigan	New York	Tennessee
Arizona	Illinois	Minnesota	North Carolina	Texas
Arkansas	Indiana	Mississippi	North Dakota	Utah
California	Iowa	Missouri	Ohio	Vermont
Colorado	Kansas	Montana	Oklahoma	Virginia
Connecticut	Kentucky	Nebraska	Oregon	Washington
Delaware	Louisiana	Nevada	Pennsylvania	West Virginia
Florida	Maine	New Hampshire	Rhode Island	Wisconsin
Georgia	Maryland	New Jersey	South Carolina	Wyoming

Disclosures

Every landlord must follow any disclosure(s) or laws in their State. This may relate to the following;

• Lead-Based Paint – According to federal law, all residences built before 1978 in the United States must have this disclosure signed by all individuals on the lease agreement.
• Move-in Checklist – Some States require that the lessee be provided with a form that allows any and all damage(s) to the space to be recorded. This decreases the chance of the lessee’s Security Deposit from being wrongfully deducted at the end of the lease term.
• Megan’s Law – For some States that require the lessee to be given a form with a website URL that allows for all the sex offenders in the area to be viewed.
• Radon – Required in some States for the disclosure if any high levels of this dangerous gas has been detected by the lessor.
• Bedbugs – In New York for example, if bedbugs have been reported in a residential unit the lessee must be informed of the issue.
• Mold – If mold exists in it should be disclosed to the lessee and in some States is required.

Security Deposits

Every State has different Security Deposit laws or none at all. A lessor may view the State by State Checklist to see if there are any rules or caps in their area.

The landlord must make sure that they are abiding by the respective State’s rental rules and have all the necessary disclosure forms signed and attached to the agreement.