Lease Signing Checklist

Use the current NAA or state-standard lease form for this property type. Confirm the rent, term dates, and any concessions match what the leasing agent quoted on the application — discrepancies between the offer and the lease are a common rescission trigger.

Verify the make-ready punch list is closed before signing — paint, carpet, appliances, HVAC filter, rekey done. Signing on an unready unit forces either a delayed move-in (rent credit) or a tenant walking through partial work, which sets a bad precedent for habitability complaints.

Pull the build year from county records or the property file. Pre-1978 buildings trigger the federal lead-based paint disclosure requirement; failure to deliver the signed disclosure before lease execution exposes the firm to per-violation HUD/EPA penalties.

Use the current EPA-approved disclosure form along with the "Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home" pamphlet. Both must be signed by every adult tenant before lease execution — not after — and filed in the tenant folder for the duration of tenancy plus three years.

State the monthly rent, the due date, the grace period, the late-fee amount, and the NSF fee. Some states cap late fees as a percentage of rent — confirm the fee schedule complies. Note that prorated rent for the partial first month is calculated separately from the full monthly amount.

Distinguish between pets (subject to pet rent and pet deposit), service animals (no fee, no breed/weight limit), and ESAs (no fee with valid letter from a licensed provider). Charging an ESA pet rent is a Fair Housing Act violation. If the tenant has disclosed an assistance animal, attach the accommodation request and supporting letter to the file.

Send through DocuSign, AppFolio's e-sign, or Buildium's e-sign so each page has a tenant initial and the certificate of completion is captured for audit. Every adult occupant 18+ must sign — leaving a roommate off the lease creates an unknown-tenant problem at eviction.

Confirm funds are cleared (ACH, certified check, or in-app payment) before key handover — personal checks can bounce after move-in and forcing an eviction over the very first payment is a brutal start. Deposit goes into the state-required account (separate or interest-bearing per local law).

Walk every room with the tenant using HappyCo, zInspector, or the PM-system inspection module. Photograph existing nicks, stains, appliance condition, and meter readings. The tenant signs the form on-site — without the signed move-in inspection as the baseline, deposit deductions at move-out are nearly impossible to defend in small claims.

Press the test button on every smoke and CO detector in the unit. Replace batteries on any unit that's borderline. Most states require working detectors at every move-in; a non-working detector is both a fine risk and a habitability defense if the tenant ever raises a fire or CO incident.

Open a same-day work order — do not hand over keys until working detectors are confirmed in writing. Document the replacement with photos and the model/serial of the new units in the unit's equipment log.

Enter the lease term, rent, deposit amount, payment method, and any concessions in AppFolio, Buildium, Yardi, or whichever system the firm runs on. The rent roll drives owner statements, vacancy reporting, and the next renewal cycle — incomplete entries here cause downstream reporting errors all year.

Combine the signed lease, all addenda, lead-paint disclosure (if applicable), state disclosures, screening reports, ID copy, move-in inspection, and key receipt into the tenant folder. FCRA retention for the screening reports is typically the duration of tenancy plus a state-specific tail (often 5-7 years).