This lease contains a clause severe enough to get reviewed before you sign.
Serious: don't sign without adviceWhen the lease ends or renews
Your lease auto-renews yearly; only the landlord can stop it
When your lease term ends, it automatically starts a new twelve-month term unless the landlord chooses to send a non-renewal notice — you have no matching option described here.
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10. RENEWAL. This Lease shall automatically renew for successive twelve-month terms unless Landlord gives notice of non-renewal.
How this compares to most leases
Exit and renewal terms vary widely between leases; this one is more restrictive than most.
What you can ask for
Replace the automatic renewal with conversion to month-to-month at the end of the term, with 30 days' notice either way.
Serious: don't sign without adviceProtections you'd be giving up
The landlord can change lease terms by posting a notice in…
The landlord can change the rules or any terms of this lease at any time, just by posting a notice somewhere in the building — no agreement from you is needed.
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15. RULES. Landlord may modify the rules and the terms of this Lease at any time by posting notice in the building.
How this compares to most leases
Most leases require both signatures to change terms mid-lease.
What you can ask for
Require that any change to the lease terms, rules, or fees be agreed to in writing by both parties.
Serious: don't sign without adviceLeaving early, or being made to leave
Miss one payment and all future rent comes due at once
The moment you are in default for any reason, every remaining month of rent left on the lease becomes due immediately as a single lump sum.
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14. DEFAULT AND REMEDIES. Upon any default, the entire remaining balance of rent shall become payable immediately.…
How this compares to most leases
Common in commercial leases, seldom in residential ones.
What you can ask for
Remove the acceleration clause so a missed payment does not make the rest of the term's rent due at once.
Serious: don't sign without adviceWho pays if someone sues
You cover the landlord's costs even when the landlord is at…
You agree to pay for any claims, damages, and legal fees the landlord faces that are connected to your time in the apartment — even if those claims were caused by the landlord's or their agents' own actions.
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13. INDEMNITY. Tenant shall indemnify, defend and hold Landlord harmless from any and all claims, damages, and expenses, including attorneys' fees, arising out of or related to Tenant's occupancy, regardless of cause, including claims arising from the negligence of Landlord or its agents. This obligation shall survive termination of this Lease.
How this compares to most leases
Most residential leases limit indemnity to harm the tenant or their guests caused. Extending it to the landlord's own conduct is unusual.
What you can ask for
Add an exception so the indemnity excludes claims arising from the Landlord's own negligence or willful misconduct.
Serious: don't sign without adviceProtections you'd be giving up
You give up the promise that the unit is livable
You agree to take the unit exactly as it is and give up the usual assurance — called an implied warranty of habitability — that the landlord will keep the home in a livable condition.
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6. CONDITION AND MAINTENANCE. Tenant accepts the Premises as-is and waives any implied warranty of habitability. Tenant shall be responsible for all repairs to the Premises, including HVAC, plumbing, the water heater, and all appliances, at Tenant's sole cost.
How this compares to most leases
Leases typically state the landlord's maintenance obligations rather than disclaim them.
What you can ask for
Remove the habitability waiver and add an express obligation for the Landlord to keep the unit in livable condition.
Serious: don't sign without adviceProtections you'd be giving up
You give up any warning or chance to fix a problem before…
You have agreed to waive — give up — any notice, demand, or opportunity to correct a default before the landlord acts against you.
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14. DEFAULT AND REMEDIES. Upon any default, the entire remaining balance of rent shall become payable immediately. Tenant waives all notice, demand, and right to cure.…
How this compares to most leases
Leases normally give you a defined window to fix a problem before termination.
What you can ask for
Replace the waiver with a written 10-day notice-and-cure period for any default.
Serious: don't sign without adviceProtections you'd be giving up
The landlord can lock you out and remove your things…
If you default, the landlord can change the locks and physically remove your belongings from the unit without going through any court process first.
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14. DEFAULT AND REMEDIES. Upon any default, the entire remaining balance of rent shall become payable immediately. Tenant waives all notice, demand, and right to cure. Landlord may change the locks and remove Tenant's property from the Premises without court process.…
How this compares to most leases
Standard residential leases route removal through a court process.
What you can ask for
Remove the language allowing the Landlord to change locks, remove property, or retake the unit without a court order.
Serious: don't sign without adviceProtections you'd be giving up
The landlord can claim your belongings as collateral
If you default, the landlord holds a lien — a legal claim — on all personal property you keep in the unit, meaning they can assert ownership over your belongings to cover what you owe.
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…Tenant waives all notice, demand, and right to cure. Landlord may change the locks and remove Tenant's property from the Premises without court process. Tenant hereby confesses judgment for all sums due under this Lease. Landlord shall have a lien on all of Tenant's personal property located in the Premises.
How this compares to most leases
Claiming a security interest in a tenant's belongings is far outside ordinary residential practice.
What you can ask for
Remove the lien on personal property.
Serious: don't sign without adviceProtections you'd be giving up
A default lets the landlord lock you out and seize your…
If you break any lease rule, all remaining rent becomes due at once, you give up any chance to fix the problem or receive a warning, the landlord can change the locks and remove your belongings without a court order, and you are treated as having already agreed to a judgment against you for any money owed. The landlord also gets a claim on your personal property inside the unit.
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14. DEFAULT AND REMEDIES. Upon any default, the entire remaining balance of rent shall become payable immediately. Tenant waives all notice, demand, and right to cure. Landlord may change the locks and remove Tenant's property from the Premises without court process. Tenant hereby confesses judgment for all sums due under this Lease.…
How this compares to most leases
Almost never appears in modern residential leases.
What you can ask for
Remove the confession of judgment clause entirely.
SeriousThe landlord coming into your home
Landlord can walk in anytime, no warning needed
The landlord can enter your home at any time, for any reason, without telling you first.
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7. ENTRY. Landlord may enter the Premises at any time without notice for any purpose.
How this compares to most leases
This shifts more responsibility to the tenant than a typical residential lease does.
What you can ask for
Add a requirement of 24 hours' written notice before entry except in genuine emergencies.
SeriousYour deposit
Your $4,800 deposit is labeled non-refundable
The lease calls the $4,800 security deposit "non-refundable," meaning the landlord treats it as money you will not get back when you move out.
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4. SECURITY DEPOSIT. Tenant shall pay a non-refundable security deposit of $4,800.00. A carpet cleaning charge and a repainting charge shall be deducted from the deposit at move-out regardless of the condition of the Premises.
How this compares to most leases
Deposit handling varies, but most leases state a return timeline and itemize deductions.
What you can ask for
Either make the deposit refundable or relabel the non-refundable amount as a fee and state what it pays for.
SeriousLeaving early, or being made to leave
You owe rent until a new tenant moves in — and the landlord…
If you leave before your lease is up, you keep owing rent until either a new tenant moves in or the original term ends, whichever comes later — and the landlord has no obligation to try to find a replacement tenant.
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12. EARLY TERMINATION. If Tenant vacates before the end of the term, Tenant remains liable for rent until a new tenant takes possession or the term ends, whichever is later, and Landlord has no duty to re-let the Premises.
How this compares to most leases
Exit and renewal terms vary widely between leases; this one is more restrictive than most.
What you can ask for
Replace open-ended re-let liability with a flat early termination fee of two months' rent.
SeriousGuests, pets, and how you use the home
An arrest or any police contact at your home can end your…
If you are arrested or if police make any contact at the unit — for any reason — the landlord can treat the lease as immediately terminated.
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16. CRIME-FREE HOUSING. Any arrest of Tenant or any police contact at the Premises is grounds for immediate termination of this Lease.
How this compares to most leases
Most crime-free addenda limit termination to proven criminal activity. This one lets the landlord act on an arrest or police contact alone, before any conviction.
What you can ask for
Limit termination to a conviction for a crime committed on the premises, and exclude police contact you initiated.
Worth fixingYour deposit
No itemized list of deductions is promised
The lease does not require the landlord to give you a written breakdown showing exactly what was taken from your deposit and why.
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4. SECURITY DEPOSIT. Tenant shall pay a non-refundable security deposit of $4,800.00. A carpet cleaning charge and a repainting charge shall be deducted from the deposit at move-out regardless of the condition of the Premises.
How this compares to most leases
Deposit handling varies, but most leases state a return timeline and itemize deductions.
What you can ask for
Add a requirement that any deduction come with an itemized statement and receipts.
Worth fixingYour deposit
No deadline for the landlord to return your deposit
The lease sets no time limit for when the landlord must return your deposit or any remaining balance after you move out.
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4. SECURITY DEPOSIT. Tenant shall pay a non-refundable security deposit of $4,800.00. A carpet cleaning charge and a repainting charge shall be deducted from the deposit at move-out regardless of the condition of the Premises.
How this compares to most leases
Deposit handling varies, but most leases state a return timeline and itemize deductions.
What you can ask for
Add a written deadline of 21 days after move-out for return of the deposit with an itemized statement of any deductions.
Worth fixingFees and extra charges
Your water, sewer, and trash bill is shared by formula
Instead of paying only for what you use, your share of the building's water, sewer, and trash costs is calculated based on your unit's square footage compared to the whole building.
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5. UTILITIES. Tenant pays all utilities. Water, sewer, and trash are allocated among units by ratio utility billing based on square footage.
How this compares to most leases
Fee structures vary between landlords; this one adds cost beyond base rent.
What you can ask for
Provide the allocation formula and the last 12 months of building utility bills, and cap your share at a stated monthly amount.
Worth fixingRepairs, and who pays for them
You pay for all repairs, including major systems
You are responsible for fixing and paying for everything in the unit — including the HVAC system, plumbing, water heater, and all appliances — entirely at your own expense.
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6. CONDITION AND MAINTENANCE. Tenant accepts the Premises as-is and waives any implied warranty of habitability. Tenant shall be responsible for all repairs to the Premises, including HVAC, plumbing, the water heater, and all appliances, at Tenant's sole cost.
How this compares to most leases
This shifts more responsibility to the tenant than a typical residential lease does.
What you can ask for
Remove tenant responsibility for HVAC, plumbing, and appliances; these are building systems.
Worth fixingGuests, pets, and how you use the home
You cannot sublet or transfer your lease to anyone
You are not allowed to sublet the apartment to someone else or hand your lease over to another person under any circumstances.
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9. ASSIGNMENT AND SUBLETTING. Tenant shall not sublet or assign this Lease.
How this compares to most leases
This shifts more responsibility to the tenant than a typical residential lease does.
What you can ask for
Allow subletting or assignment with the Landlord's written consent, not to be unreasonably withheld.
Worth fixingGuests, pets, and how you use the home
A guest staying 4+ nights a month can end your lease
If any guest stays at your place for more than 3 nights in a single month, the landlord can treat that person as an unauthorized occupant and use it as a reason to terminate your lease.
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8. USE AND OCCUPANCY. Guests staying more than 3 nights in any month become unauthorized occupants and are grounds for termination.
How this compares to most leases
This shifts more responsibility to the tenant than a typical residential lease does.
What you can ask for
Extend the guest limit to 14 consecutive days and 30 days in any six-month period.
Worth fixingFees and extra charges
Fees start the moment rent is one day late
Rent is due on the first, and if the landlord has not received it by that same day, the late fee clock starts immediately — there is no grace period built into this lease.
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3. RENT. Rent is $2,400.00 per month, due on the first day of each month. If rent is not received on the first, a late fee of $75.00 applies plus $15.00 per day until paid in full.
How this compares to most leases
Fee structures vary between landlords; this one adds cost beyond base rent.
What you can ask for
Add a 5-day grace period before any late fee applies.
Worth fixingIf there's a disagreement
You pay the landlord's legal fees no matter who wins
In any dispute related to this lease, you must pay all of the landlord's attorney's fees and costs, even if you win the case.
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17. DISPUTES. Tenant waives trial by jury in any action relating to this Lease. Tenant shall pay all of Landlord's attorney's fees and costs in any dispute, regardless of outcome.
How this compares to most leases
Arbitration and venue clauses are widespread, though they change how disputes get resolved.
What you can ask for
Make the attorney's fees clause mutual by adding "prevailing party."
MinorIf there's a disagreement
You agree a judge alone decides any lease dispute — no jury
You have given up the option of having a jury hear any case related to this lease; a judge alone will decide all disputes.
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17. DISPUTES. Tenant waives trial by jury in any action relating to this Lease. Tenant shall pay all of Landlord's attorney's fees and costs in any dispute, regardless of outcome.
How this compares to most leases
Arbitration and venue clauses are widespread, though they change how disputes get resolved.
What you can ask for
Remove the jury trial waiver, or make it mutual.
MinorWho pays if someone sues
Your indemnity duty continues after you move out, with no…
The obligation to cover the landlord's claims and costs does not stop when your lease ends — it continues indefinitely after you move out.
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13. INDEMNITY. Tenant shall indemnify, defend and hold Landlord harmless from any and all claims, damages, and expenses, including attorneys' fees, arising out of or related to Tenant's occupancy, regardless of cause, including claims arising from the negligence of Landlord or its agents. This obligation shall survive termination of this Lease.
How this compares to most leases
Obligations that outlive the lease usually carry a time limit. This one does not.
What you can ask for
Limit the survival of the indemnity to one year after the lease ends.
MinorFees and extra charges
Late fees grow by $15 every day with no cap
If your rent is not received on the first of the month, you owe a $75 flat fee right away, and then $15 more is added for every day it stays unpaid.
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3. RENT. Rent is $2,400.00 per month, due on the first day of each month. If rent is not received on the first, a late fee of $75.00 applies plus $15.00 per day until paid in full.
How this compares to most leases
Fee structures vary between landlords; this one adds cost beyond base rent.
What you can ask for
Replace the daily late fee with a single flat fee, capped at 5% of monthly rent.