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A one-page rental agreement is a residential lease on a single sheet. It names the landlord, tenant and property, and sets the term, rent, deposit and pet terms. Landlords use it to rent one home, especially on simple month-to-month terms.
This page gives you the FormsPal Simple One-page Rental Agreement as a free fillable PDF, a builder for a longer lease agreement, filling instructions for every blank, and tables of deposit and notice rules with the statute behind each row.
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A one-page rental agreement is a short residential lease that fits the key terms on a single sheet: who rents, which home, for how long, at what rent and with what deposit. It is also called a 1 page lease agreement, a basic rental agreement or a simple lease.
The form works for a fixed term or for a month-to-month rental. Most of its text is already printed. You fill in names, dates, amounts and a few check boxes, and both sides sign at the bottom.
Compared with a full residential lease, the one-page form keeps the same core terms and leaves out long clauses on common areas, occupants and furnishings. Those can go into a rider attached to the agreement.
A simple one-page lease includes the parties, the property, the term, the rent, the deposit, the utilities, the pet terms and the signatures. The FormsPal template prints each of these in order:
A basic one-page lease fits one home or room rented to one household on plain terms, with no shared spaces to manage. For a shared building or extra conditions, attach a rider or build a longer residential lease agreement with the online builder.
The free 1 page lease agreement downloads from this page as a fillable PDF that you can type into or print and fill by hand. To change the wording or add clauses, use the FormsPal step-by-step builder instead.
The landlord and the tenant may want more terms than the one-page form holds:
| Document Name | Simple One-page Rental Agreement Form |
| Other Name | Basic Rental Agreement |
| Avg. Time to Fill Out | 8 minutes |
| # of Fillable Fields | 27 |
| Available Formats | Adobe PDF |
Filling out the one-page rental agreement takes about 8 minutes and has 27 fillable fields. Work through the form from top to bottom, and complete each step on the template as you read it. Most of the form is already written, so you only enter names, dates, amounts and a few choices.
The screenshots under each step show the FormsPal Simple One-page Rental Agreement template filled with sample entries in blue, so you can see where each answer goes. The names, addresses, dates and amounts are examples only.
Step 1: Enter the date and the parties
A “party” is someone who takes part in the agreement. The “landlord” or “lessor” owns the property. The “tenant” or “lessee” pays for the right to live there for a set “term.”
Type these items in the opening paragraph at the top of the form:
Step 2: Describe the property and the term
This part answers “Where?” and “How long?” Enter the following in section one:
Step 3: Choose the security deposit
A security deposit covers unpaid rent, unpaid utilities or damage if the tenant leaves without settling them. Before you write an amount, check the deposit limits table below.
Step 4: Enter the rent
The one-page form puts the rent details and conditions in one paragraph. Fill it in as follows:
Step 5: List the utilities the landlord provides
Write the utilities the landlord will provide on the line after “Landlord shall provide the following utilities.” The tenant takes care of all other utilities, as the form states. If none apply, simply write “n/a” (not applicable).
Step 6: Review maintenance, damage and insurance
Sections four to seven set out how the tenant uses and cares for the home. Read them together before you sign.
Section six sets how the landlord wants to receive repair requests. In an urgent case, the tenant may fix the problem without notice to the landlord. The section says nothing about paying the tenant back for such repairs.
To change these sections, use the lease agreement builder or ask an attorney.
Even with good care, major problems such as fires, burglary or storms can still happen. Sections seven and eight cover these cases.
Sections nine to twelve have no blanks. Read them with the other party before you sign.
Step 7: Set the pet and walkthrough terms
The pet clause decides whether a tenant with an animal can rent the home at all. If you are the landlord, choose one of these options:
A no-pets box does not settle a request for a service or assistance animal from a tenant with a disability; check the fair housing rules before you refuse one. In Oregon, a landlord may not charge a pet security deposit for a service or companion animal that a tenant with a disability requires as a reasonable accommodation under fair housing laws (Or. Rev. Stat. § 90.300).
Sections fourteen and fifteen cover the rare cases when the landlord relocates the tenant or enters the home. Section sixteen points to other “rules and regulations” attached as riders to the lease agreement.
Section 17 covers the walkthrough. Checking the condition of the premises together before move-in helps both landlord and tenant, and both parties may take pictures to document it.
The waiver box does not lift a landlord's duty to record the move-in condition where a statute sets one. Examples from our sources, not a full list:
The next section is for disclosures about the home. For an older home, read the lead-based paint disclosure section below. Some disclosures are not optional. For example:
Check your state's disclosure rules, then add each one the same way.
Step 8: Sign as the landlord
Once both sides agree on every provision of the rental agreement, the landlord signs on the Landlord’s signature line at the bottom of the form.
Step 9: Sign as the first tenant
The tenant signs on the first Tenant’s signature line.
Step 10: Add signatures for other tenants
Those living with the main tenant may also add their signatures on the second and third Tenant lines. The form has three Tenant lines in total.
Each signer keeps a copy of the signed agreement. If the one-page form needs changes, use the builder or ask an attorney.
A security deposit limit is the most a landlord may take from a tenant as a deposit; Alaska Stat. § 34.03.070, for example, sets it at two months' periodic rent for units renting at $2,000 a month or less. The table lists each cap our sources hold, with its condition and statute.
| State | Deposit cap and condition | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | One month's periodic rent; amounts for pets, changes to the premises or increased liability risks are not counted | Ala. Code § 35-9A-201 |
| Alaska | Two months' periodic rent, prepaid rent included; the cap does not apply where the rent exceeds $2,000 a month | Alaska Stat. § 34.03.070 |
| Arizona | One and one-half month's rent, prepaid rent included | Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 33-1321 |
| Arkansas | Two months' periodic rent; the rules do not apply to an individual who, with spouse, minor children and their rental entities, owns five or fewer dwelling units (Ark. Code Ann. § 18-16-303) | Ark. Code Ann. § 18-16-304 |
| California | One month's rent, in addition to the first month's rent paid on or before move-in; two months' rent if the landlord meets both small landlord requirements of the section | Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5 |
| Colorado | Two monthly rent payments under the rental agreement | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-12-102.5 |
| Connecticut | Two months' rent, for a tenant under sixty-two years of age | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21 |
| Delaware | One month's rent, where the rental agreement is for 1 year or more; one month's rent also for a primary residential tenancy of undefined term or month to month that has lasted 1 year or more (with the exception of federally-assisted housing regulations) | 25 Del. C. § 5514 |
| Hawaii | One month's rent, plus an amount the parties agree on for damage by a pet allowed under the rental agreement | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-44 |
| Iowa | Two months' rent | Iowa Code § 562A.12 |
| Kansas | One month's periodic rent, for an unfurnished dwelling unit | Kan. Stat. Ann. § 58-2550 |
| Maine | The rent for 2 months | Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, § 6032 |
| Maryland | 1 month's rent per dwelling unit, regardless of the number of tenants | Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-203 |
| Massachusetts | The first month's rent, provided the deposit is held as subsection (3) requires and the tenant is given the statement of condition | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 15B |
| Massachusetts | The first month's rent, provided the deposit is held as the statute requires and the tenant is given the statement of condition | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 15B |
| Michigan | 1 1/2 months' rent | Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.602 |
| Missouri | Two months' rent | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300 |
| Nebraska | One month's periodic rent, plus a pet deposit of up to one-fourth of one month's periodic rent; not applicable to housing agencies under the Nebraska Housing Agency Act | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1416 |
| Nevada | 3 months' periodic rent, counting any surety bond and the last month's rent | Nev. Rev. Stat. § 118A.242 |
| New Hampshire | One month's rent or $100, whichever is greater | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540-A:6 |
| New Jersey | 1 1/2 times one month's rent | N.J.S.A. 46:8-21.2 |
| New Mexico | One month's rent, where the rental agreement runs less than one year | N.M. Stat. Ann. § 47-8-18 |
| New York | One month's rent, unless the unit is a seasonal use unit or an owner-occupied cooperative apartment | N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law § 7-108 |
| North Dakota | One month's rent; up to two months' rent from an individual convicted of a felony offense, as an incentive to rent to that individual | N.D.C.C. § 47-16-07.1 |
| Pennsylvania | Two months' rent, during the first year of any lease | 68 P.S. § 250.511a |
| Rhode Island | One month's periodic rent | R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19 |
| South Dakota | One month's rent; a larger deposit may be agreed where special conditions pose a danger to maintenance of the premises | S.D. Codified Laws § 43-32-6.1 |
| Virginia | Two months' periodic rent | Va. Code Ann. § 55.1-1226 |
A place not in the table may still cap deposits: our sources hold no cap for it, which does not mean it has none. Check its statute before you set the amount.
A pet deposit is a separate, extra deposit for an animal. Our sources hold a pet deposit rule of its own for these places:
Notice to end a month-to-month rental is the written warning one party gives the other before the tenancy stops; under Alaska Stat. § 34.03.290, either side gives it at least 30 days before the rental due date named in the notice.
| State | Notice and condition | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Written notice by landlord or tenant at least 30 days before the periodic rental date in the notice | Ala. Code § 35-9A-441 |
| Alaska | Written notice by landlord or tenant at least 30 days before the rental due date in the notice | Alaska Stat. § 34.03.290 |
| Arizona | Written notice by landlord or tenant at least thirty days before the periodic rental date in the notice | Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 33-1375 |
| Florida | Not less than 30 days' notice before the end of any monthly period | Fla. Stat. § 83.57 |
| Georgia | Sixty days' notice from the landlord or 30 days' notice from the tenant, for a tenancy at will | O.C.G.A. § 44-7-7 |
| Hawaii | Written notice by the landlord at least forty-five days before the termination | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-71 |
| Illinois | 30 days' written notice from the landlord, for a tenancy of less than one year (other than week to week) where the tenant holds over without special agreement | 735 ILCS 5/9-207 |
| Louisiana | Ten calendar days before the end of the month | La. Civ. Code art. 2728 |
| Maryland | 60 days before the end of the tenancy | Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-402(c) |
| Missouri | One month's written notice by either party | Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 441.050, 441.060 |
| New York | At least thirty days' notice from the landlord, if the tenant has occupied the unit for less than one year and does not have a lease term of at least one year | N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 226-c(2)(b) |
| Ohio | Notice by landlord or tenant at least thirty days before the periodic rental date | Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.17 |
| Tennessee | Written notice by landlord or tenant at least thirty (30) days before the periodic rental date in the notice | Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-512 |
| Texas | Where the rent-paying period is at least one month, the tenancy ends on the later of the day named in the notice or one month after the notice is given | Tex. Prop. Code § 91.001 |
| Virginia | Written notice by landlord or tenant at least 30 days before the next rent due date, unless the rental agreement provides for a different notice period | Va. Code § 55.1-1253 |
| Wisconsin | At least 28 days' notice; if rent is payable on a basis less than monthly, notice at least equal to the rent-paying period is enough | Wis. Stat. § 704.19 |
The form's month-to-month box sets the rental; it does not set this notice. A state not in the table may still set a notice rule, for example Ark. Code Ann. § 18-17-704, Utah Code § 78B-6-802 and 9 V.S.A. § 4467; read your state's statute before you give notice.
A lead-based paint disclosure is a federal duty for the lessor of target housing: under 42 U.S.C. § 4852d, the lessor gives the tenant a lead hazard information pamphlet and discloses any known lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards.
Under 42 U.S.C. § 4852d, the lessor also gives the tenant any lead hazard evaluation report the lessor has.
Under 42 U.S.C. § 4851b, target housing is any housing built before 1978, except housing for the elderly or persons with disabilities or any 0-bedroom dwelling (unless a child under 6 years of age lives or is expected to live in that housing).
Write the disclosure into the form's disclosure section or attach it as a rider, and give the pamphlet with the lease.
Many states will not enforce a lease for longer than one year unless the lease, or a note or memorandum of it, is in writing; our sources hold this rule for Colorado (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-10-108), Illinois (740 ILCS 80/2) and South Dakota (S.D. Codified Laws § 43-32-5). Other rules from our sources:
Some states cap late fees, and Nevada, for example, limits a late fee to 5 percent of the periodic rent (Nev. Rev. Stat. § 118A.210). The other caps in our sources:
The one-page lease agreement on this page downloads as a fillable PDF, not a Word file. To edit the wording itself, build the lease in the FormsPal builder and print or save the result.
The template takes about 8 minutes and has 27 fillable fields. Most of the text is already written, so you only complete these parts:
The steps above show each part of the form.
Yes. FormsPal’s builder lets you add the conditions and responsibilities that fit your rental, and the document is updated as you go.
If you change the template or have questions about your own situation, you may consult an attorney. A lawyer can also check that your changes protect both the landlord and the tenant.
General information, not legal or tax advice.
