Recently bought a condo in College Station that eventually my kids will live in, along with roommates who will lease rooms. I have assumed the existing leases for the current tenants which looked to be something drafted by the previous owner.

Is there a standard lease agreement that covers the legal requirements for landlords which we can leverage for new tenants? Any advice or experiences here are welcomed.

Howdy Sugar City!

You are correct. There is a standard lease you can be using for residential rentals, usually through the TAR. It'll need to be tweaked and adjusted depending upon if you want the tenants to cover things or have dogs, etc. I've had many clients use the lease form with their rental tenants and it covers a good base.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Link is here: http://content.har.com/FormManager/pdf/79.pdf

RPL,
Thanks for the quick response. I found that form while googling recently, but it gave me pause due to the language in the header stating " use of this form by persons who are not members of the Texas Association of Realtors is not authorized" inferred that there was some official channel one was to utilize in order to make use of this form.

Appreciate your help.

Gig 'em!

Beyond that bomb the Texas legislature has recently added some more fun Easter eggs for landlords. I've been a landlord since 2008 and if this is your first time leasing a home I would highly recommend connecting with a good local realtor like Luke to help you through the process. Seriously, you can get yourself in some good trouble if you don't do it correctly. Luke also has access to my lease addendum which covers about a dozen various items that the TAR lease does not cover. And when you see it, ask Luke/me how each of those items got added to the list. Haha!

CS78 said:

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Section 33.

"G. Copyright: If an active REALTOR member of Texas REALTORS does not negotiate this lease as a party or for one of the parties, with or without assistance by an active member of the State Bar of Texas, this lease is voidable at will by Tenant."

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Meh, that's what white-out is for.

Good point. The lease is the foundation, but there's a lot more to the full packet. Owners and other addendums are important details and an ounce of prevention when it comes to protecting you.