Legal Disclaimer

LawLease is software, not a law firm. Using LawLease does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and LawLease, and we do not provide legal advice.

Our templates are drafted and reviewed by licensed attorneys, but reviewing a template is not the same as advising you on your specific situation. If you need advice that takes your facts into account, talk to a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction.

A residential lease’s enforceability depends on facts we cannot see — your local rules, the property type, the relationship with your tenant, ongoing disputes, any prior agreements between you, and local amendments that may postdate a template’s last review. If any of those apply, please consult an attorney before signing.

Every LawLease template carries a “Last reviewed” date. This reflects when a licensed attorney last audited the template against current state law. Landlord-tenant laws change frequently. You are responsible for confirming that the template you use reflects the law in effect on the date you execute the lease. We recommend verifying material terms with your state’s official landlord-tenant statutes or a licensed attorney before sending a lease to a tenant.

Templates are currently available for California, Florida, Georgia, New York, and Texas. We do not represent that LawLease covers every state, every property type, or every situation. If your state isn’t listed, our product is not the right tool for you.

We update templates as laws change, but you are responsible for the final document. We do not guarantee that any specific lease will be enforceable in your jurisdiction or in court. Enforceability depends not only on the document’s language but also on proper execution (both parties signing before occupancy), correct delivery of required disclosures, compliance with local rent-control ordinances, and other factors beyond our control.

Modifications you make to a template using free-text fields or outside the wizard are not reviewed by LawLease attorneys. You are solely responsible for the legality of any modifications.

The federal Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. §§ 3601–3619) and applicable state laws prohibit discrimination in the rental of housing based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability. Most states where LawLease operates extend these protections further:

• California adds source of income, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, ancestry, citizenship/immigration status, primary language, and age (Gov. Code §§ 12955 et seq.).
• New York adds source of lawful income, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, military status, and lawful occupation (N.Y. Exec. Law § 296).
• Florida prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, familial status, and religion; local ordinances in many Florida cities add sexual orientation and gender identity.
• Georgia follows the federal protected classes (O.C.G.A. § 8-3-202); Atlanta and other cities add additional local protections.
• Texas follows the federal classes under the Texas Fair Housing Act (Tex. Prop. Code §§ 301.001 et seq.) and adds familial status in certain contexts.

LawLease’s standard templates do not include discriminatory terms. However, any modification you make to a template— including adding occupancy limits beyond what state law permits, restricting children, referencing a prospective tenant’s protected characteristics, or imposing different terms on tenants with housing vouchers — may constitute illegal discrimination. You are solely responsible for ensuring your lease complies with fair housing laws. Consult a licensed attorney if you have questions about whether a lease term is permissible.

Many states and municipalities require landlords to deliver specific disclosures to tenants at or before lease execution. Failure to provide required disclosures can expose you to fines, affect lease enforceability, or bar recovery of the security deposit. LawLease’s templates include the most common required disclosure language for each state, but you may need to provide additional stand-alone disclosures or addenda depending on your specific property and jurisdiction. Consult the relevant state agency or a licensed attorney to confirm what is required for your property.

Common required disclosures by state:

• Federal (all states).Lead-based paint disclosure required for all pre-1978 rental housing (42 U.S.C. § 4852d). Landlords must provide the EPA pamphlet “Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home.”
• California.Megan’s Law sex-offender database disclosure; bedbug disclosure and history; mold addendum; Proposition 65 warnings where applicable; death-on- premises disclosure; smoking policy addendum; military ordinance disclosure; flood zone disclosure.
• New York. Bedbug disclosure and infestation history; window guard notice for buildings with children under 10; smoke/carbon monoxide detector notice; lead paint disclosure; Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act (HSTPA) notices for regulated units; move-in inspection checklist.
• Florida. Radon disclosure (required by Fla. Stat. § 404.056(5) for leases over 45 days); energy-efficiency brochure; mold-related information; flood zone disclosure for properties in a FEMA special flood hazard area.
• Georgia. Move-in / move-out inspection checklist (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-33) required to retain any portion of the security deposit; EPA lead-paint pamphlet for pre-1978 properties.
• Texas.Notice of tenant’s rights to repair and remediation; mold disclosure; flooding disclosure (Tex. Prop. Code § 92.0135); security device disclosure; smoke alarm compliance statement.

This list is not exhaustive. Local ordinances (city or county level) may impose additional requirements. You are solely responsible for identifying and providing all required disclosures for your property.

Signatures captured through LawLease are intended to satisfy the U.S. Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (E-SIGN) and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA).

E-signatures are not valid for documents the law requires to be signed on paper or notarized in person — wills, trusts, certain real-estate deed transfers, and court filings. Confirm the rules for your situation before relying on an electronic signature. See our full Electronic Records & Signatures Disclosure.

The Fair Housing Act requires landlords to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices, or services when necessary for a person with a disability to have equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling. It also requires you to allow reasonable modifications to the physical premises. LawLease standard lease templates include general reasonable-accommodation request language, but the obligations are individual and fact-specific. If a tenant or applicant requests a reasonable accommodation or modification, consult a licensed attorney before accepting or denying the request.

You retain full ownership of the leases you create on LawLease. We keep an audit trail of edits and signatures so you can prove what was signed, by whom, and when.

Please consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction before using a LawLease template if any of these apply:

• An eviction is in progress or contemplated.
• The property is commercial rather than residential.
• The unit is regulated or subsidized — Section 8 / Housing Choice Voucher, rent-stabilized or rent-controlled, public housing, or other government-assisted housing.
• The building has 5 or more units.
• The arrangement is unusual — a sublet, a single-room rental (lodger), or an owner-occupied home with a rented unit.
• You have prior disputes or unresolved issues with this tenant.
• There is an active or threatened security-deposit dispute.
• A tenant has requested a reasonable accommodation or modification related to a disability.
• The property was built before 1978 and federal lead-paint disclosure rules apply (if you have not already delivered the required EPA pamphlet and disclosure form).
• The property is located in a city or county with a local rent-control or just-cause-eviction ordinance not covered by state law (common in California, New York, and New Jersey).
• You intend to include a non-standard lease term — such as an early-termination fee, a pet addendum with a non-refundable fee, or a co-signer agreement — and are unsure whether it is enforceable in your state.

California residents.

LawLease is not authorized to practice law in California and is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney licensed in California (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 6125–6126). LawLease does not select a form on your behalf, does not advise you on which provisions to include or exclude, and does not review your completed document for compliance with your particular circumstances. The information you supply is used to populate a template you have selected; the legal sufficiency of the completed document is your responsibility.

Florida residents.

LawLease is not authorized to practice law in Florida and is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney licensed in Florida (Fla. Bar R. 4-5.5). LawLease’s templates are general residential lease forms for properties subject to Florida Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Fla. Stat. Ch. 83). They are not designed for commercial tenancies, short-term rentals under 30 days, federally subsidized housing, mobile homes, or transient accommodations, and should not be used for those purposes without attorney review.

Georgia residents.

LawLease is not authorized to practice law in Georgia and is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney licensed in Georgia. Our templates are designed for standard residential tenancies under the Georgia Landlord-Tenant Act (O.C.G.A. Title 44, Chapter 7). They do not cover commercial leases, seasonal rentals, week-to-week arrangements, or units in buildings with fewer than 10 apartments that are owner-occupied — situations that may fall outside the Act’s protections or trigger different obligations.

New York residents.

LawLease is not a law firm and does not engage in the practice of law in New York (N.Y. Judiciary Law § 478). LawLease cannot give you legal advice, cannot recommend specific lease terms based on your situation, and cannot represent you in any matter. The templates LawLease provides are general legal forms; whether a form is appropriate for your situation is a question of law for a licensed New York attorney. If you are operating a rent-regulated unit, are subject to the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019, or are uncertain how local rules apply, consult a New York attorney before using a template.

Texas residents.

LawLease is not authorized to practice law in Texas and is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney licensed in Texas (Tex. Disciplinary R. Prof. Conduct 5.05). Our templates are designed for standard residential tenancies governed by the Texas Property Code (Chapters 91–94). They are not appropriate for commercial leases, manufactured housing, or properties subject to local ordinances that modify the Texas Property Code defaults. If you operate rental property in a Texas city with a rental registration requirement or habitability inspection program, confirm your compliance independently.

Direct legal concerns to legal@lawlease.org. For general support, email hello@lawlease.org or visit our support page.