Free Lease Agreement Generator

How to create a lease with this tool

1. Enter the landlord and every adult tenant who will live in the property.
2. Add the property address and type, and the maximum number of occupants.
3. Choose a fixed term or month to month, and set the dates.
4. Set the rent, the day it is due, the deposit and any late fee — checking your state limits as you go.
5. Set the utilities, pet and smoking rules, tick the pre-1978 box if it applies, then download the PDF and have both parties sign it.

What does a residential lease need to cover?

The names of everyone bound by it, the address of the property, the length of the tenancy, the rent and when it is due, the deposit, who pays which utilities, and what each party may and may not do. Beyond that, a lease is mostly about the situations nobody wants to think about at signing: what happens if rent is late, when the landlord may enter, who fixes what, and how the tenancy ends. A lease that is silent on those is not shorter — it just means the default rules of your state apply instead of yours.

Fixed term or month to month?

A fixed term locks both sides in for a set period, usually a year. It gives the landlord predictable income and the tenant security of tenure, at the cost of flexibility on both sides. Month to month renews automatically until either party gives notice, which suits short stays and uncertain plans but lets either side walk away with relatively little warning. Notice periods for ending a month-to-month tenancy are set by state law, commonly 30 days but longer in some states and for longer tenancies.

The lead-based paint rule

This is the disclosure most often missed. US federal law requires that for any housing built before 1978, the landlord discloses known lead-based paint and hazards, hands over any related records or reports, and gives the tenant the EPA pamphlet "Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home" before the tenant is obligated under the lease. It applies in every state, penalties for skipping it are substantial, and a tenant who was not given it may be able to challenge the lease. Tick the pre-1978 box and the clause is added for you — but you must still hand over the pamphlet itself.

Do both parties have to sign?

Yes. A lease is a contract, and until both the landlord and every named tenant have signed it, nobody is bound by it. Give each party a fully signed copy and keep yours; a lease neither side can produce is worth very little in a dispute. Signing electronically is generally valid in the US under the ESIGN Act, though some states have specific requirements for real estate documents.

Why is this tool English only?

Every other generator on this site can produce its document in four languages, because an invoice is an invoice anywhere. A lease is not. This template follows US conventions, and rendering it in French or Spanish would produce something that is neither a valid US lease nor a valid contract under French or Spanish tenancy law — those require entirely different mandatory content, such as an état des lieux and an energy performance certificate in France. Offering the translation would look helpful and quietly mislead you, so it is left out.