Leases & Rental Agreements

Create a solid, binding lease that complies with your state laws

If you rent out residential real estate, you need to create documents that are legally valid where your rental property is located. Every state has its own rules when it comes to what landlords must include in their leases, and generic forms don’t tell you what you need to know. Not only does this book contain instructions on how to tailor your rental documents to your state’s laws, it also gives you customizable versions of key rental forms you need, including:

•  a fixed-term lease

•  a month-to-month rental agreement

•  a rental application

•  tenant reference and credit check forms

•  move-in and move-out letters, and

•  a property inspection checklist.

The 15th edition is completely updated to reflect the latest landlord-tenant laws—find out what your state requires regarding security deposits, entry to rental property, disclosures, termination notices, and much more. This new edition also covers topics relevant to today’s landlords, such as cautions about asking for applicants’ criminal history, when you can seek attorneys’ fees, and things to consider when using tenant screening reports.

Nolo's Executive Editor, Janet Portman oversees editorial work on all Nolo books, articles, and websites. She specializes in residential and commercial landlord/tenant law, legal issues related to courts, and criminal law. She is the author or a coauthor of Every Landlord's Legal Guide, Every Landlord's Guide to Finding Great Tenants, First-Time Landlord: Your Guide to Renting Out a Single-Family Home, Every Tenant's Legal Guide, Renters' Rights, Leases & Rental Agreements, The California Landlord's Law Book: Rights and Responsibilities, and California Tenants' Rights. Portman received undergraduate and graduate degrees from Stanford University and a law degree from Santa Clara University School of Law. Before joining Nolo in 1994, she practiced law as a public defender.

Ann O’Connell is a legal editor at Nolo specializing in landlord-tenant and real estate law. Before joining Nolo as an editor, Ann was a freelance writer for Nolo and other publications and law firms. She has passed the bar exams in California, Nevada, and Colorado, where she is both an active attorney and a real estate broker. Ann practiced civil litigation in California and Colorado, and had her own firm in Colorado. At her firm, she focused on real estate, landlord-tenant, and small business cases. Ann earned her B.A. from Boston College and her J.D. from UC Berkeley Law.