National Apartment Association Lease: Fill & Download for Free

Contrary to popular belief, landlords DO NOT get to just choose who they want to rent their property to by no standards. We have Rental Criteria Guidelines/Qualifications that have to be signed and submitted along with the Rental Application.“The Fair Housing Act (Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968) introduced meaningful federal enforcement mechanisms. It outlaws: Refusal to sell or rent a dwelling to any person because of race, color, disability, religion, sex, familial status, or national origin.”I cannot present a unit to you for rent if the unit has been previously leased and held by deposit. If you view/tour my community, and an apartment is leased, you are welcome to submit a deposit for another open unit of the same floorplan, or you can choose to put an application in to be placed on a waitlist. In my office, you will see posted a dated copy of my company’s rental criteria. To qualify for the home, you must meet that criteria. Items on this criteria range from including, but not limited to, making gross 3x monthly rent, no evictions, no felonies related to drugs or violent crimes… you get the jist. If you qualify and I have an available home, yay! If you qualify, and I decide that I liked someone else more that rented after you and I gave them your secured apartment instead, I am violating a FEDERAL LAW. No, I cannot just pick and choose who I want to live there. Everyone that says that is trying to will the option into existence by sheer lies. I do not care what you smell like. I care how you take care of the apartment, and my quarterly inspections will make sure that you are maintaining my owner’s asset. But pick and choose, that will not only get me fined but it will get me placed in a comfy white collar prison for 2 years. Secret shoppers are sent to make sure that I am not violating these laws. Please click black address for the Fair Housing link below when you hover your mouse the words to see the National Apartment Association guidelines for renting units.Fair HousingIf you are in the U.S., contact your local Apartment Association. Every state, even most counties, have them. Do not believe the crap I am reading from some of their responses. I am appalled. We are expected to maintain a level of professionalism and follow these rules for a reason.

As others have mentioned, you need to tailor your lease to your local laws to ensure your provisions are legal and enforceable. If you are in the US, there are several ways to get a rental lease agreement template already tailored to your state or local market.Check with a local Realtor - Your local Realtor will have a very detailed and very local rental lease agreement but of course they don't just publish them. They use them for their clients. You may be able to find one willing to write one for you in exchange for future business.Join a Landlord Association - American Apartment Owners Association (AAOA) or the National Apartment Association (NAA) offer many forms with membership or you can buy them without joining.Use an Online Form - There are a number of online real estate form services. I prefer EZLandlord forms (This is an affiliate link but there is no extra cost to you). Not only do they remind you when your lease is up, but their forms are fully editable so you can add important provisions and they are designed by legal professionals. They also have a number of free forms and resources available to anyone.Step 1 - Create a New AccountStep 2 - Create a New LeaseStep 3 - Follow the prompts from the Advanced Lease WizardNote - Never use a free form you downloaded from the internet without having it reviewed by a legal professional! You need to ensure you are legally protected. Spend the extra few dollars!Be sure to add smart lease provisions not found on most lease agreement forms. See Landlord Tip #17 here. Always include a provision regarding pets whether you allow them or not. See my Landlord’s Ultimate Guide to Pets for more information.Note that I am not a lawyer and this is not meant to replace legal advice. You should always seek local expert advice when drafting legal documents.Good Luck!Domenick | AccidentalRental

I’m a property manager and rental owner and I use electronic or digital signatures all the time on lease agreements. There are many inexpensive or free software programs available for this. Also, our National Apartment Association Bluemoon leases have their own digital signature feature.Having said that I always pick up the phone and review lease agreements with a new resident and at least ask them if they have any questions. Not reading your lease agreement or understanding what is expected from both sides for this legally binding contract doesn’t excuse lease violations. I like to point out the main points of contention in the lease agreement so no one is surprised that they can’t have a “guest” for more than 7 days without our explicit permission, paint the walls turquoise, bolt a satellite dish to the owner’s new roof, or get a puppy, for example. There are important clauses to understand regarding late fees, paying for damages or repairs, move out procedures, subletting, smoking, entering, maintenance, etc. Be sure you read it thoroughly, get all your questions answered, and ask for a copy after it’s signed.