Free Real Estate Contract Forms

Our free real estate contract forms and lease or rental agreements
can assist you in the selling, renting or management of your property.

Maybe you own an apartment or two, or you have a flat or house or business premises that you wish to rent.

Letting / rental agents can charge up to 15% (more than a months rent) to secure a tenant for a year and an additional 5% to "manage" the property - collect the rent, visit the premises, authorize repairs etc. In the case of a holiday apartment - geographically too far from your home - it might make sense, but if the rental property is close enough you can keep an eye on it yourself.

Although an oral agreement may be enforceable (especially for short-term agreements) it all too often happens that disputes arise over:

• What is included or excluded in the rental
• Whether pets are allowed
• How many people may occupy the dwelling etc.

Even if you were to enter into an agreement with a trusted friend, neighbor or colleague, it is always advisable to do so in writing. You can easily copy any of the free real estate contract forms into your word program and edit it to suit your requirements.

Follow our easy instructions to print or edit on this page: free legal forms online.

• Rental Application Form - Your aid to screening tenants
  
  ... Rental Applications - Legal guidelines
  
  ... Rental Application Fees - What are the rights of a landlord
• Rejection Letter - To be issued to unsuccessful rental applicants
• Property Rental Agreement - Rental agreement format for House Rentals
• Lease Agreement - Lease agreement template for Apartment Rentals
• Simple Rental Template - Weekly or month to month rental agreement or even longer lease
• Room Rental Agreement - Two free room rental templates are available: Where you enter into a separate agreement with each tenant, and a different form for a joint tenancy with multiple tenants in one property
• Room Rental Addendum - A simple way to make provision for a substitute tenant without the need to execute a completely new lease
• Roommate Rules Agreement and Roommate Chore Chart - A less formal agreement and cleaning schedule to assist with shared accommodation
• Security Deposit Receipt - Advisable to issue whether legally required or not
  
  ... Security Deposit Guidelines - The landlord's rights and obligations
• Rent Receipt Template - May be a legal requirement, subject to a fine if not issued
• Lease Renewal Agreement - A convenient way to formalize the extension of the rental term
• Guarantor Application Form - To capture information of the guarantor
• Guarantor Agreement - Offers additional security for payment of the rent
  
  ... Rent Guarantee Guidelines - What is the most effective way to set it up
• Eviction Notice to Quit - Sample legal document
• Power of Attorney - Empower your Agent to manage your real estate investments
• Proxy Form - To empower someone to attend specified meetings and vote on your behalf
• Commission Agreement - Once-off finder's fee to an Agent to procure a suitable tenant
• Property Management Agreement - Extensive contract identifying services and fees of your property Manager
• Affidavit of Residence - To be used with a lease agreement to prove residency

Important Note about our Free Real Estate Contract Forms!

Please refer to this page: Become a Landlord for additional information on:

• The Eviction Process - Stay Within the Law
• Tenant Screening Tips
• What are a Renter's Rights
• What is the Best Rental Price
• Should You use a Property Management Company
• Short Term Rental vs Long Term Lease - Advantages and Disadvantages
• Moving Out Checklist

For more detailed examples on what may not be included in a rental agreement format, please refer to the information on Renter's Rights.

Our free real estate contract forms are not intended to replace the valuable input that a real estate attorney can offer, especially when it comes to specific housing laws in your area. You should ideally use them as templates to create your own custom documents and then have them reviewed by a lawyer.

Landlords and Investing in Real Estate

Real estate offers many advantages when it forms part of a retirement investment plan.

Apart from the capital growth, there are many tax benefits to be gained from rental properties - more than most other investments.

The interest on mortgage loans, costs associated with repairs, running a home office to manage the properties, travel costs to your rental units and insurance premiums are just a few examples of tax deductible expenses.

Here's a good tip for landlords to consider:

If you find a really great tenant (who passed your screening with flying colors), offer them the twelfth month free on a year-long agreement provided all monies are paid on time and the property is in the same condition as when the rental started.

If you think about it - that is the same amount you would have paid the letting agent, (if in your country this money is payable by the landlord) but in exchange you give a great incentive to the tenant to sign and stay for a year, pay on time and to take care of the property to qualify for the free month.

Note:

The free rental agreement forms are provided as sample documents and are general and generic in nature.

When using them you can modify them to suit your circumstances but you must ensure that they comply with the legal requirements in your state or country, e.g. anti-discrimination or fair housing laws, privacy rights of a tenant, health and safety codes, rent control etc.

If you are not using the services of a real estate attorney, you must investigate your local laws to the best of your ability and then when using our free real estate contract forms to compile your agreements, it is advisable to add the following clause:

If any clause, or part of a clause, is found to be invalid or unenforceable by an appropriate court of law, all the remaining clauses of this agreement will remain in full force and effect and binding on both parties, as if such invalid or unenforceable clause had never been included.

What are the Job Duties of a Real Estate Agent

Agents assist landlords in renting their properties, do tenant screening, do regular inspections etc. and they also offer lease agreements as part of their service.

However, we prefer to use our own legal documents. We have a number of properties and if each one used a different lease agreement, it will become quite complicated trying to keep track of a myriad of clauses and deadlines etc.

We actually make it our business to also meet with a prospective tenant and review and confirm references, employment etc. before giving the OK to a property agent to sign a lease with the tenant.

The reason is simple: Our real estate properties are a valuable part of our retirement investment portfolio. Some rental agents don't really care any further than getting their rental commission and would gladly place a marginal tenant.

We also make it our business to inspect the property regularly. It's much easier to do maintenance on an ongoing basis than to find a myriad of things to fix (doors almost falling off their hinges, sinks leaking into the cabinets below etc.) at the end of a tenancy.

Incidentally, if you are presented with an agreement such as a mandate to rent your property, you need not accept the contract in its entirety. Negotiate clauses such as the period of the initial mandate and for how long thereafter commissions will still be payable on agent referrals.

When entering into an agreement with a real estate broker to lease your property, you must reserve your right to rent the property yourself with no commission due to the broker.

Landlord Tenant Law - Portal for direct links to country-specific pages.

All the free real estate contracts available here are accompanied with guidelines for their use, to assist the property owner in compiling his own documents or to do preparation before consulting with a real estate attorney.

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