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 one-size-fits-all forms simply cannot comply with every state's
laws. This book gives you a template and several 50-state law charts, which you
can use to create a lease or monthly rental agreement that will work in your
state. You'll also get 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 16th 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 the wisdom of asking for applicants' criminal history, the issues to
consider when asking for attorneys' fees, and how to evaluate tenant screening
reports.

Author: Ann O'Connell,Janet Portman
Publisher: NOLO
Published: 07/29/2025
Pages: 208
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 10.80h x 8.30w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9781413332728

About the Author
Portman, Janet: - Janet Portman, an attorney and formerly Nolo's Executive Editor, received
undergraduate and graduate degrees from Stanford and a law degree from
Santa Clara University. She is an expert on landlord-tenant law and the
coauthor of Every Tenant's Legal Guide, Renters' Rights, Every Landlord's Legal
Guide, and First-Time Landlord.O'Connell, Ann: - 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.