As hard as you might try to account for every possible scenario when drafting a rental lease agreement, you never really know what the future holds. Situations change, the wants and needs of property owners (and tenants) change, and when they do, lease addendums can save the day.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the definition of lease addendums, why and when they’re useful to property owners, and what they need to include to be enforceable.
Firstly, a quick note about terms. A lease addendum may also be referred to as a:
These terms are often used interchangeably and refer to the same thing. Going forward, we’ll use lease addendum.
Lease addendums are legal documents that address topics and coverages not covered in existing or standard lease agreements. They are separate from the initial agreement, don’t stand on their own, and are typically tacked on later.
As long as there is nothing included in the original lease stating otherwise both property owners and tenants can initiate addendums. Before it’s officially added to the lease, however, all parties have to sign in agreement to the added terms.
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Even if you and a tenant verbally agree to change something about your lease, you should still make it formal with a written addendum.
This way, if there’s any confusion or pushback from either party in the future, you have official documentation to clear things up.
If there’s a kind of coverage that you’re worried is lacking in your original agreement, even a little bit, it’s probably worth adding an addendum. As long as you adhere to local tenancy laws, you can cover almost anything with one.
That said, some of the most typical reasons for adding lease addendums relate to:
The actual wording of your lease addendum will depend on the original lease it’s being added to, local landlord-tenant laws, and its specific kind of coverage.
This last point is why it’s best to create different addendums for different topics, rather than trying to cover everything in one. For example, if you want to add coverage related to renovations and disclosures, it’s best to create two separate addendums, one for each topic. This keeps things organized for yourself, not to mention clearer for your tenants.
Regardless of the topic, however, all lease addendums should include the following to be legally binding:
Without this information, you risk ending up with an invalid, unenforceable contract, which no property owner wants to deal with. To be certain, always run any addendum you’re considering by qualified legal counsel.
There’s no size-fits-all template for addendums, but Law Depot’s lease amendment tool is the next best thing.
Through a quick series of prompts, it’ll take your original lease and the addendums you want to add, and then produce a new lease that is legally binding in your area.
For a more streamlined solution, use Rhenti.
As part of your membership, you get customizable lease forms, automated listings, smart viewings, effortless applications, and everything else you need to upgrade your marketing and leasing—all in one platform.
The blog posts on this website are for the purpose of general introductory information. They can’t serve as an opinion or professional advice. Speak to a professional before making decisions related to your circumstances.
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