{"id":11621,"date":"2023-11-19T08:59:52","date_gmt":"2023-11-19T15:59:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/devturbotenant.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=11621"},"modified":"2025-12-08T11:01:47","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T18:01:47","slug":"what-is-a-lease-addendum-and-when-should-i-use-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.turbotenant.com\/glossary\/lease-addendum\/","title":{"rendered":"Lease Addendums: What They Are and How to Create One"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"flex-content-main\">\n<div class=\"ttsf-rich-text \">\n<p>Landlords live and die by their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.turbotenant.com\/rental-lease-agreement\/\">lease agreements<\/a>, so the idea of making a change to that critical contract may leave them feeling queasy. Thankfully, lease addendums are more common and easier to create than one might think.<\/p>\n<p>While landlords can add addendums to both commercial lease agreements and residential lease agreements, we\u2019re going to focus on residential agreements in this article.<\/p>\n<p>So, what exactly is a lease addendum, why would you update your original lease agreement, and how does the whole process work?<\/p>\n<p>Read on to find out.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"video-container\" data-video-id=\"758499839\" data-platform=\"vimeo\">\n<div class=\"video-placeholder\" style=\"background-image: url('');\">\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"video-play-btn\" aria-label=\"Play Video\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"48\" height=\"48\" viewBox=\"0 0 48 48\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<path d=\"M0 0L48 24L0 48Z\" fill=\"#FFFFFF\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"ttsf-rich-text \">\n<h2><strong>What is a lease addendum?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.contractscounsel.com\/t\/us\/addendum-to-lease#:~:text=FREE%20PROJECT%20POSTING-,What%20is%20an%20Addendum%20to%20a%20Lease%3F,original%20lease%20does%20not%20cover.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ContractCounsel<\/a>, \u201cAn addendum to a lease is a separate legal document added by the landlord to the original lease agreement between the landlord and tenant. Lease addendums are used to provide additional information that the original lease does not cover.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In other words, a lease addendum allows you to add an additional document to or adjust the terms of your existing rental agreement.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Common Types of Lease Addendums<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>If your residential lease agreement looked great, your renter was probably happy to sign off on the terms of the contract. But in the immortal words of Ferris Bueller, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=vsYBtfQ3QDo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">life moves pretty fast<\/a> \u2014 which may mean that <strong>you need to update part of your lease while keeping the rest intact<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Below, we\u2019ve listed the most common rental lease addendums you may need to add to an existing lease:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>Pet addendum<\/strong>: Did you renter inherit a dog from a loved one halfway through their lease agreement? You can update your provision mid-lease without impacting the rest of the document \u2014 which should have your renter and their new four-legged friend wagging their tails.<\/p>\n<p>Specify which types of pets you\u2019ll allow, how many animals can be included in the tenancy, and any related fees or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.turbotenant.com\/lease-agreements\/pet-deposit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">deposits<\/a> in this addendum. Need help determining what to include in your pet policy? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.turbotenant.com\/property-management\/pet-fees-pet-rent-what-you-need-to-know-about-pet-policies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Our comprehensive blog can help<\/a>!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><!-- --><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>Extending tenancy addendum<\/strong>: You\u2019re such a good landlord that your tenant isn\u2019t ready to say goodbye when their lease expiration date rolls around. Why not allow them to stay longer by extending their tenancy through an addendum?<\/p>\n<p>You can even adjust the lease to be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.turbotenant.com\/lease-agreements\/month-to-month-lease-agreement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">month to month<\/a> if that better suits the situation.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><!-- --><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>Updating rent payments or security deposit amounts<\/strong>: The rental market is hot, and that means it might be time to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.turbotenant.com\/property-management\/rent-increase-letter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">revisit how much you\u2019re charging your renters<\/a>, both in terms of their month-to-month payments and their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.turbotenant.com\/glossary\/what-is-a-security-deposit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">security deposit<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important to note that both the landlord and tenant have to sign off on lease addendums, so be sure to present your case for increasing either of these payments thoughtfully.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><!-- --><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>Landlord-tenant law disclosure<\/strong>: There are some legal disclosures that you\u2019ll need to add to your lease if you missed them the first time around. For example, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hud.gov\/program_offices\/healthy_homes\/enforcement\/disclosure\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/lead\/lead-based-paint-disclosure-rule-section-1018-title-x\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)<\/a> require \u201cthe disclosure of known information on lead paint and lead-based paint hazards\u201d before renting out real estate built prior to 1978.<\/p>\n<p>This requirement is also called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.turbotenant.com\/property-management\/lead-based-paint-disclosure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the paint disclosure<\/a>, and tenants\u2019 rights dictate that they must also receive a federally approved pamphlet on lead poisoning prevention.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>While we\u2019ve listed a few of the most common lease addendums, it\u2019s important to note that your unique situation may require other updates to your original contract. For example, perhaps you could benefit from adding addendums related to occupancy, long-term guests, smoking, subleasing\/subletting, parking, or renter\u2019s insurance.<\/p>\n<p>When in doubt, consult your local legal professional for the best ways to protect your rental property.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.turbotenant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/LeaseAddendum_Illustration-1024x823.png\" alt=\"A person with long hair holds a white cat in a comfy living room. There's an orange cat nearby.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"823\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><strong>When can I use a lease addendum?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Now that you understand what a lease addendum is, it\u2019s important to understand when they\u2019re normally used. There are two typical circumstances in which you\u2019d enact a lease addendum:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Mid-term<\/strong> (for minor additions or changes)<\/li>\n<li><strong>End of lease<\/strong> (to extend tenancy)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That said, as long as you and your renter sign off on the lease addendum, you can add provisions to the contract at any time.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>When <em>can&#8217;t<\/em> I use a lease addendum?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>While lease addendums are helpful for updating a standard lease, they can\u2019t be used willy-nilly. Remember, lease addendums should be used for minor updates to the initial lease; you can\u2019t use them for major changes to a lease agreement or tenant\/guarantor changes.<\/p>\n<p>For example, you can\u2019t use a lease addendum to aid in the eviction process.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>How do I add an addendum to a lease agreement?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>You have a couple of options when it comes to updating your original lease contract. If you have the time, money, and energy to pull everything together yourself, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TSmXQy3zipo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">addendum templates<\/a> generally contain:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The renter\u2019s name<\/li>\n<li>The landlord\u2019s name<\/li>\n<li>The rental property\u2019s address<\/li>\n<li>The date of the addendum<\/li>\n<li>The lease start date<\/li>\n<li>The provision itself<\/li>\n<li>Signatures from the landlord and all involved tenants<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you\u2019re looking for a streamlined process instead, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.turbotenant.com\/landlord-toolbox\/rental-forms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">we can help<\/a>. TurboTenant makes mid-lease changes and extensions easy while keeping your core lease agreement intact with our online addendums.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Why use TurboTenant\u2019s lease addendum features?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>We\u2019re glad you asked! Our lease addendums are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Easy to fill out<\/strong>: We&#8217;ll walk you through every step of the addendum creation process.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Designed to give you legal confidence<\/strong>:\u00a0Rest easy knowing our flexible document was built to protect you and your property.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fast to e-sign<\/strong>:\u00a0Working with TurboTenant means you can choose between having your tenants e-sign the document or printing it out and having them sign in person.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Additionally, our addendums are fit for all landlords, regardless of your lease creation process. Whether you used TurboTenant\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.turbotenant.com\/rental-lease-agreement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lease agreement<\/a> from start to finish or didn\u2019t use our services at all before now, your satisfaction is our top priority.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/rental.turbotenant.com\/auth\/signup\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sign up for a free account<\/a> to get started today and rest easy knowing that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.turbotenant.com\/\">TurboTenant<\/a> has everything you need to boost your property management business.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>Disclaimer<\/strong>: This blog is for informational purposes only and is published by TurboTenant. It is not legal, financial, or tax advice. Laws and regulations for landlords vary by state and locality and may change over time. Always consult a qualified attorney, accountant, or local housing authority before making decisions related to your rental property. The publisher and authors assume no responsibility for actions taken based on the information provided.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lease addendums allow landlords to make changes to their current lease agreement, such as adjusting the rent payments or adding a pet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":11624,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1833],"tags":[1467],"level":[1837],"class_list":["post-11621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-glossary","tag-popular","level-beginner","topic-leases"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v26.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Lease Addendums: What They Are 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