Rent, due date, and late fees
The amount, where and how it is paid, the grace period, and any late fee, written to the limits your state sets on late fees where it has them.
Residential Lease Drafting and Review
A Residential Lease Written for Your Property and Your State
Prepared by a licensed U.S. attorney
People search for a lease agreement attorney for one of two reasons: a landlord wants a lease that will hold up, or a tenant wants to know what the lease in front of them really says. We handle both. A licensed U.S. attorney drafts the lease to your state's landlord-tenant law, with the disclosures your property requires, or reviews the lease you were given and marks what to change. The parties sign it.
The short answer
You can write your own lease, and a good template covers a standard tenancy. Have it drafted or reviewed when the deposit, the disclosures, or the terms depend on your state's statute, when the building predates 1978 (a federal lead disclosure is required), or when the lease is long, unusual, or not yours.
Federal lead disclosure rule, SCRA, and New York deposit law read on the official sources
Lease Agreement Lawyer
What a Lease Agreement Lawyer Does for Landlords and for Tenants
For a landlord
A lease agreement lawyer turns the deal into enforceable terms: rent and fees within the state's limits, a deposit clause that matches the deposit statute, the disclosures the property requires, and default and notice terms that line up with how an eviction would actually proceed. The aim is a lease that does not hand the tenant a defense later.
For a tenant
A lease review explains what you are agreeing to before you sign: the fees beyond rent, the renewal and move-out terms, the repairs pushed onto you, and any clause that waives a right the statute protects. Some of those clauses are void anyway; knowing which ones changes what you negotiate.
Legal Tank is a drafting service, not a law firm. We draft and review; we do not negotiate with the other side or appear in court. Leasing commercial space? See commercial lease drafting.
What the Lease Covers01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08
The Clauses That Decide Most Landlord and Tenant Disputes
Every residential lease we draft answers these eight questions for the property and the state. Where a statute sets the answer, the lease follows it; where it does not, the lease says it plainly so nobody has to guess.
Security deposit
The amount, where it is held, and how and when it comes back. In New York a deposit may not exceed one month's rent for most units, and the landlord must return it with an itemized statement within 14 days after the tenant leaves or forfeit the right to keep any of it (Gen. Oblig. Law 7-108(1-a)(a), (e)).
Term, renewal, and month-to-month
A fixed term or a periodic tenancy, what happens at the end, and the notice either side must give, matched to the state's termination notice rules.
Repairs, maintenance, and entry
Who fixes what, how repair requests are made, and when and on what notice the landlord may enter, consistent with the state's habitability and entry statutes.
Occupants, guests, pets, and subletting
Who may live there, how long a guest may stay, pet terms and deposits, and whether the tenant may sublet or assign.
Required disclosures
For housing built before 1978, the lease must include or attach the federal Lead Warning Statement, the landlord's disclosure of known lead-based paint, a list of available reports, and the tenant's acknowledgment (40 CFR 745.113(b)). State law can require more disclosures on top of the federal ones.
Early termination
Whether the tenant may buy out the lease, and the federal right of servicemembers to terminate after entering military service or receiving qualifying orders (50 U.S.C. 3955(a)).
Default and signatures
What counts as a default, the notice before the landlord may act, and signatures by every adult tenant, with any guarantor signing separately.
Renting a standard unit? Fill in our free residential lease agreement template or read how to write a lease agreement. Sharing a home with co-tenants? Use a roommate agreement alongside the lease.
Lease Review
Lease Review Before You Sign: What Our Attorney Checks
A landlord's form lease is written for the landlord. A review reads it against your state's statute and tells you which terms are normal, which are unusual, and which the law will not enforce whatever the lease says.
You get the lease back marked up, with a short memo in plain English. If you need to leave a lease you already signed, we read it for the way out it allows and draft the notice or the termination agreement.
What We Prepare
Lease Drafting and Review by a Licensed U.S. Attorney
Every lease, addendum, and review is prepared by a licensed U.S. attorney from the facts you send. We draft and explain; the parties sign.
Residential Lease Draft
A fixed-term lease or month-to-month rental agreement written for your property and state: rent, deposit, term, repairs, entry, pets, and the disclosures the property requires.
Use it whenYou are renting a unit or a house and want a lease built for it, not a generic form.
Lease Review for Tenants
The landlord's lease marked up with a short memo on what each clause means for you, which terms are unusual, and which conflict with the statute.
Use it whenYou have been sent a lease and asked to sign by a deadline.
Addenda, Renewals, and Amendments
Pet, parking, utility, and lead disclosure addenda; renewal offers; and amendments when the rent, the occupants, or the term change.
Use it whenThe tenancy is changing and the paperwork has to match.
Lease Termination Papers
A mutual termination agreement, a servicemember termination notice, or the landlord's notice that ends the tenancy.
Use it whenSomeone needs to leave before the lease ends.
01
You send the property and the deal
The address, the rent and deposit, the term, and any lease you already have, through the secure matter portal.
02
We scope it in one business day
A written scope lists the lease or review, the state law that governs it, and a delivery date.
03
A licensed U.S. attorney drafts
The lease or redline is prepared by a licensed U.S. attorney, with notes on the terms that matter in your state.
04
You review and we revise
You confirm the rent, dates, and rules. We revise until the lease matches the tenancy.
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The parties sign
Landlord and tenants sign, on paper or electronically. You keep the signed lease.
Legal Tank
- Drafts the lease, addenda, and disclosures.
- Reviews a lease and explains each change.
- Drafts renewal, amendment, and termination papers.
Landlord and tenants
- Agree the terms and sign the lease.
- Handle the deposit, keys, and move-in inspection.
- Negotiate with each other and appear in any dispute.
Tenant behind on rent or in breach? See eviction notice drafting for landlords.
FAQ
Questions About Hiring a Lawyer for a Lease Agreement
What kind of attorney do I need for a lease agreement?
A real estate or landlord-tenant attorney licensed in a U.S. state. For a residential lease, the work is mostly drafting and review against the state's landlord-tenant statute: deposit limits, required disclosures, entry and repair rules, and how the lease can end. That is the work we do: a licensed U.S. attorney drafts the lease or reviews yours. For a dispute that is already in court, you need a litigator.
How much do lawyers charge for a lease agreement?
It depends on whether the lease is drafted from scratch or reviewed, how many units and addenda it covers, and how unusual the terms are. We quote a fixed fee after reading what you send, and the quote is free. If your rental is a standard one-unit tenancy, start with our free residential lease template and builder; have it drafted or reviewed when the property, the money, or the terms are not standard.
Can I draw up my own lease agreement?
Yes. A lease is a contract between landlord and tenant, and the law does not require a lawyer to write one. The risk is in what a homemade lease leaves out or gets wrong under your state's statute: a deposit above the legal limit, a missing disclosure such as the federal lead warning for housing built before 1978, or a clause the statute makes void. New York, for example, makes any agreement waiving a tenant's security deposit rights absolutely void (Gen. Oblig. Law 7-108(3)).
Is a handwritten lease agreement legal?
Generally yes, if it contains the essential terms and the parties sign it; the law cares about the content and the signatures, not whether it was typed. Length matters more than handwriting: in New York a contract to lease real property for longer than one year must be in writing and subscribed (Gen. Oblig. Law 5-703(2)), so check your own state's writing requirement before relying on a short or informal lease. A handwritten lease is also more likely to miss required disclosures.
Can a lawyer get me out of a lease agreement?
Sometimes, depending on the lease and the law. The first place to look is the lease itself: an early termination or buyout clause, a sublet or assignment clause, or a landlord breach that the lease or statute treats as a reason to end it. Federal law gives servicemembers a right to terminate a residential lease after entering military service or receiving qualifying orders (50 U.S.C. 3955). We review the lease and draft the termination notice or the agreement to end it; we do not negotiate or litigate for you.
How much does it cost for a lawyer to look over a lease?
A review costs less than drafting because the document already exists; the fee turns on its length and how far it departs from standard terms. We scope every review in one business day and quote a fixed fee, so you know the cost and the delivery date before you commit.
This page explains lease terms and some federal and state rules, and what we draft. It is not legal advice about your tenancy, and Legal Tank does not represent landlords or tenants.
Ready When You Are
Sign a Lease That Says What You Agreed
Send the property, the terms, and any lease you have. We return a scope and a delivery date in one business day.
Quotes return same business day on intakes received before 5 PM ET
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