Residential Rental Contract

[Jason Barnett]

I was wondering if some people would mind sharing their rental contracts with the rest of us. What are some of the terms (financial or otherwise) that you put in the contract to protect yourself? I am mostly interested in rental contracts for residential properties.

I can go ahead and get started with one of my own: late fees. In my contracts I specify that if a tenant is late on rent then they will be charged a $20 late fee. I also state that if rent is late then I reserve the right to refuse rent even if I have accepted late rent in the past.

To be completely honest I'm not sure if the above will stand up in court, but it looks good on paper. :lol: