California Apartment Lease

California Apartment Lease Forms

California apartment lease forms are used by property management companies that manage apartment buildings and communities in California. Apartment leases are typically custom designed because they need to include language that is specific to the shared spaces in the apartment building. If you are a landlord or property manager who is managing individual residential rentals in California (single family homes, duplexes, vacation homes, etc...), you may want to check out the California residential lease instead.

California Apartment Lease - What should it include?

The California apartment lease is a specific type of California lease contract that can be used by California property management companies that are leasing apartments to tenants in California. An apartment is considered to be a self contained housing unit that only occupies part of an apartment building. In addition to including all the obvious terms for the lease agreement (names of the tenants who will be occupying the apartment unit, term for the rental agreement, security deposit, notice to vacate requirement, etc...) the California apartment lease should also contain terms and conditions that dictate the usage of the shared spaces in the building. For example, most California apartment leases will state that the Tenant and Tenant's guests are not allowed to disturb, annoy, endanger, or interfere with other tenants or neighbors, and a violation of this term can lead to a termination of the rental lease.

California Apartment Leases - What are the Specific Laws?

Many apartment buildings are commercial buildings with shared spaces and the lease agreements normally contain addtional components that you wouldn't typically see in a residential lease. For example, parking spaces and mailbox numbers may be defined with the "premises" in an apartment lease. Aparment leases should also define what "usage" means for shared areas like the swimming pool or gym. All California rental lease forms are required by federal law to include a lead paint disclosure if the property was built before 1978, and the landlord may also be required to disclose the existense of mold or hazardous materials on the premises. In many states, apartment leases are also required to include a link to the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website so tenants can determine the proximity of registered child molesters in the neighborhood.

California Apartment Lease - What else should I know?

Many property managers in California use Simplify'em property management software to track their apartment leases. The process of leasing apartments begins with getting your applicants to fill out the California rental application so you can gather basic information and conduct a background check on your prospective tenants. You should fill out the California apartment lease once you are ready to sign a lease contract. No California lease agreement will be effective until signed by the landlord and the tenant. If the tenant violates the rental agreement by not paying rent and you are considering an eviction notice, you can use the California Notice to Quit to inform the tenant to pay rent (most often in 3, 5, or 7 days) or quit the lease and vacate the premises (California Notice to Vacate) in 30, 60, or 90 days, depending on the circumstances.

Download the FREE California Apartment Lease below, and be sure to let us know what you think!