Is your landlord asking you to make a lease agreement? If you have not had a chance to make a lease agreement before then we are here to help you out in all ways. We would be telling you everything you need to know to create a simple one-page lease agreement and how one can draft a free printable basic rental lease agreement.
What Is a Simple One Page Rental Agreement?
Before we get started let's know what a simple one-page rental agreement is. It is basically a document created between a tenant and a landlord. It outlines the terms and conditions of the property rental that you have agreed on. The occupancy term could be fixed or on a monthly basis.
The monthly basis occupancy comes with basic terms that include the start dates, the end dates, names of the parties, the fixtures, restrictions, utility responsibilities, monthly rent and more. Rental lease agreements are used for residential purposes only. It allows the use of the property on the agreed time period in exchange for the rent. Besides that, it does not include any of the required disclosures set by the state government.
What Is the Importance of Simple Rental Agreement?
The era in which we are living mainly believes and runs on appropriate documentation. The same applies to the simple one-page lease agreement as it has its own importance.
It is presented in the times when disputes and other problems occur during the lease term. One can easily resolve problems of any kind by referring and reviewing the agreement when needed.
We can also say that it acts as a tool for communication help connecting the landlords with the tenants via agreed terms. A simple one-page rental/ lease agreement not only ensures but also promotes a mutual understanding between both parties.
What To Include in This Free Printable Basic Rental Agreement?
If you are wondering what you'll need to include in this document then we must remind you that it is just a simple one-page rental agreement.
It means it will be only a page long and should cover terms like the starting dates, the ending dates, the monthly rent that the tenant requires to shell out, responsibilities of the tenant and the owner and so on.
Let's tell you specifically about the things that should be included in this document.
- The address of the property is going to be rented.
- Agreement terms.
- All the details of the security deposit.
- The name of the person who will be there in the absence of yours.
- How the property rented needs to be used.
- Name of the individual and the payment that is to be charged for the utility bills like power, water, garbage and others.
- Eviction terms and conditions.
- The terms and conditions regarding the maintenance of the property.
- Handling of the damage caused and service interruptions.
- Charges that are to be paid on renewals.
- If tenants can keep pets or not.
If you are about to download a free printable basic rental agreement pdf then make sure it contains all these details.
How to Draft a Simple One Page Rental Agreement?
Like the name suggests the simple one-page rental agreement is just a page long and the elements of its covers make it one of the most vital things in our lives. The agreement contains all the details that one needs while renting/leasing property for any purpose.
It is quite easy to download a lease document where you just need to fill in the blanks but it is even better to draft one. Let's know how you can draft a basic rental agreement or a simple lease agreement.
You need to add the basic information
To draft a simple one-page rental agreement one should add the basic details like the name of the tenant and the landlord along with their contact details, the renting property address, the starting date and the ending date of the agreement.
All the details of the security deposit
If the security deposit is taken then the details of it need to be mentioned in the document. The mode of the payment and the total amount needs to be mentioned. The procedure of returning the security deposit at a full lease end is to be mentioned too.
Need to include the payment date and the amount that is to be taken for rent
The document needs to be specified with the total rent amount, the monthly due date, the mode of payment and others. The landlord can also add the penalties for the late rental fees that would be given by the tenant.
The maintenance of the property and the other details
Here you need to mention the responsibilities that your tenant needs to carry regarding the maintenance of the rented property. This section will include the available appliances in the property and their current conditions while you also need to mention the conditions in case if any damage is made to the existing items.
Generally, the security deposit is taken for such chances for the damages. For damages, the money will be deducted from the security deposit amount for the necessary repairs.
Subleasing
This is not a mandatory point to be included in the house rental agreement. It points out if the owner will allow subletting the property or not. If you think that you will allow it then as a landlord you have the right to screen the sub-tenants before the agreement is to be finalized.
Warning against the concealed defect
It is the duty of the landlord to tell the tenant of the existing defects that your property has. Disclosing the defects will save you from explaining yourself in case any incident happens in the future. This will also save you as a landlord from legal troubles. It is highly recommended to fix the defects before renting the property.
About termination
It is important to mention the days you will allow your tenant to stay in your property after the lease contract has expired. Furthermore, it is essential to include a section about termination and everything that the other party needs to do about it.
The landlord also needs to let the tenant know about it and see if they intend to terminate the agreement or not. Moreover, both parties need to check the laws of termination that the state government holds.
Conclusion
You can download the free printable basic rental agreement too if you find it difficult to make one. It is important to have a lawyer when you are about to finalize the agreement. Having a lawyer will help you to make the right decision and take the necessary steps because they are aware of every single terms and condition.
Hiring a property lawyer will also help the document to be both legal and valid. Besides that, you should keep several copies of the document with you and also convert it into a digital form for safety.
