There are countless services enabling landlords to create rental agreements online. Understanding the important elements of a rental lease is key. The binding nature and legal implications require that all facts are captured with clarity, to avoid misinterpretations by either of the parties involved. Moreover, the contents of a rental agreement must be formulated with property leasing laws that are applicable to your state. Leasing regulations can change from state to state and in some cases city to city. Many online landlord services provide the basics, however when building a rental agreement we suggest choosing a website featuring state specific laws and regulations.

One such web-site that offers the above mentioned services is ezLandlordForms. Amongst the many benefits this site has to offer is a one of a kind feature called “state-assist”. This user friendly website creates the right form for your state, automatically fills in your information, then guides you all the way through with document-building wizards and localized help screens.

Many elements of a lease are regulated by law, please acknowledge the items stated below.

Rent – There are many jurisdictions containing strict regulations on what can be charged for rent. This is often referred as “rent control”.

Security Deposit – Numerous states have limits placed on the maximum amount a landlord may charge for a security deposit. Some often require exact criteria to be included on a rental lease, like where a security deposit is held. There are other questions that need answering as well, such as “May I charge a pet deposit?”

Notice – Notice requirements differ from state to state and situation to situation. The amount of time to give notice can be regulated as well as the way a landlord renders notice. Some states allow regular mail while others may require personal delivery.

Please note these are only a few examples of regulations that differentiate by location. There are many, many others.

There are multitudes of online lease services very similar to the boilerplate pre-printed forms offered by stationary stores. Ultimately leaving user’s very little room to personalize their agreement. One of the many important issues highlighted in a lease are guidelines for how you prefer your tenant to reside. While some rules may be applicable to some, others may need different rules. After all each rental situation is different. A good online lease will allow the user to select rules as well as add their own. Do you want a web-site selecting the rules that govern your housing?

Rental agreements should be visually pleasing and professional, encompassing a cover sheet, addendums, utility information, and even a table of contents.

A lease agreement must be able to stand up in court. It’s important to selectively choose a rental agreement that adheres to the laws of your state. Judges will often rule in favor of a tenant if there are crucial pieces missing from a lease or if the wrong phrase or terminology is used.

Too many times, motivated by saving a few bucks, landlords turn to the so-called “free” lease. Be extremely careful when going this route. It’s true what they say; “you get what you pay for”. The last thing a landlord wants is to be in front of a judge and be ill-equipped.

Upon successfully creating your lease agreement online, print two copies. The tenant can keep one while you keep the other, after both parties have signed the duplicate documents. It is extremely important to ensure that the tenant pays the full amounts for security deposit and first month’s rent prior to handing over the keys to the rental property.



Rent Back

So everyone is talking about going green.  Sure, you’re not tooling a round the suburbs in an armored tank, but are you doing what you can to lower your impact on the environment?  

There are lots of industries built around using your guilt over the state of the environment as a catalyst for their profit.  With all the things you can buy, there is almost always a green alternative.  But here’s another alternative – how about if you don’t BUY at all?  

Any environmentalist worth their snuff will tell you that reducing your consumption is the best way to reduce your negative effect on our globe.  The less you buy, the less you waste; it’s that simple.  

But sometimes, there are things you really need, or that you really want, whether you need them or not.  Here’s a novel idea – Rent!  

Do you like spending a few weekends each summer on the lake?  Instead of buying a boat that you have to pay to store during all the times you’re not able to make it to the water, why not rent a boat when you want to get away?  Maybe you’re taking the kids and you need a pontoon boat, or you’re heading out for a waterskiing weekend and you need a high powered ski boat.  If you’ve got enough friends or family, renting a houseboat, might be a great weekend trip, too.  If you’re renting, you can tailor what you’re using to what you need in any given situation.  And, you can feel good about taking steps toward a greener world.

If you’re traveling with a baby, you know how much baggage can come with it.  Now that airlines are charging for everything you want to bring on board, it can get pretty expensive, too.  And, if you buy baby items to use once you reach your destination, a lot of those get thrown away or left behind when you head home.  To avoid that excess consumption, take advantage of companies that you can rent baby equipment like cribs, swings, toys and strollers.  It’s not only less expensive; it also helps keep you greener.  

Thinking of throwing a party?  Decorating for a 50th Anniversary or a super sweet sixteen party can be a lot of fun – and a huge strain on your budget.  You can save that money for the food & entertainment when you rent party decorations.  Renting decorations also leads to less cheap, disposable decorations which means your celebration won’t be a downer for the environment.  From some companies, you can even rent Christmas decorations – you can go all out and still afford to actually buy some gifts.

It’s true that we’re a nation of consumers, but we’re also consumers who are starting to take a greater interest in the effect of our consumption on our planet.  It’s a great idea to cut back on purchases, and renting is an option that still lets you enjoy some of the finer things in life.  

So the next time you’re considering a purchase, reconsider.  Renting is an option that can save you money, and can do at least a little bit to save the planet.



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