Standard Residential Lease

Identify the rules that cover the unit. Confirm rent-stabilized or rent-controlled status and any Good Cause Eviction coverage or exemption. Use the required coverage notice where applicable and keep the supporting property information. A market-rate label alone does not settle renewal rights; the Attorney General's Good Cause guide explains the coverage framework.

Complete the property disclosures. Review applicable lead information, sprinkler status, flood history and risk, accommodation notices and any certificate-of-occupancy disclosure. Check city-specific bedbug, window-guard and other requirements rather than applying New York City rules to every location. Retain the completed attachments and delivery records.

Keep deposits and condition records together. Review the one-month security limit, required bank notice and any interest duties. Document the starting condition, promised repairs and inspection options. At move-out, keep supporting costs, the itemized statement, refund and delivery records; review the fourteen-day rule and any separate rules for regulated housing instead of assuming every tenancy follows the same process.

Make payment and service terms usable. State the rent, due date, lawful late charges, permitted payment choices and repair contacts clearly. Keep required receipts and payment records. Do not treat electronic payment as the only available route or describe repair complaints as automatic permission to deduct costs from rent.

Review renewal before the deadline. For applicable nonrenewals or increases of five percent or more, determine the thirty-, sixty- or ninety-day notice from the lease and occupancy history. Check rent regulation and Good Cause protections separately; notice alone does not establish a lawful ground to end a covered tenancy. Give each signer the completed agreement and retain the delivery record.

Keep the occupancy and monthly date history together. Record when the resident first moved in, the dates and length of earlier leases, the start of the recurring arrangement and the rent due date. Use that history when reviewing the notice guidance above. Distinguish a tenant’s planned departure from a landlord’s proposed nonrenewal, and check the unit’s location, regulation and Good Cause coverage before selecting a final date. Retain notices and delivery records, then separately arrange keys, condition review and forwarding details.

Make the rent proposal specific to the unit. Record the current rent, proposed amount, percentage change and first affected payment. Review the agreement, applicable rent-regulation orders, Good Cause protections and housing-program restrictions before setting the effective date; a percentage from an earlier guideline year is not a current rule for every New York rental. Keep the required notice and supporting calculations with the resident’s response and any agreed amendment. Use the New York rent-change guide to review the actual arrangement, and consider prohibited retaliation or discrimination.

Define the room and review the underlying arrangement. Identify the private room, supplied furnishings, storage and facilities shared with others. Confirm who signs the agreement and review any required permissions, occupancy or building requirements and the unit's rental status before offering the room. Record the rent contribution, deposit, utility allocation and payment dates, and check the applicable rules for the actual arrangement. Keep any separate agreement among roommates consistent with the landlord's lease and required notices.

Make shared living and private-room access clear. Discuss cleaning, guests, quiet hours, pets, shared supplies and repair contacts. Record the room's condition and relevant shared areas, including promised work. Explain how maintenance or inspection access to the private room will be requested and scheduled under the agreement and applicable local requirements, with emergencies addressed separately. Retain agreed rules and written changes when residents join or leave; review the appropriate notice, possession and deposit process before responding to an unresolved household dispute.