Creating a Residential Lease Agreement in Zipforms + Sending it via DocuSign

1. Residential Lease Agreement (Always required)
2. Rental Flood Disclosure (Always required & signed by the owner)
3. Lead-Based Paint Addendum (Always required for properties built pre-1978 & signed by the owner)
4. Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home (Only when we include LBPA)
5. Appliances Addendum (Always required - check AF/MLS to determine what appliances are included. We almost always provide a fridge. We rarely provide washer/dryer. You can also check the most recent photos of the property to confirm).
6. Military Addendum (Always required)
7. Animal Agreement (if applicant has pets, including ESA and service animals)
8. Inventory & Condition Form (always required)
9. Mold Remediation Consumer Protection (always required)
10. HOA By-laws (required if property is in an HOA - check Appfolio to confirm. We always ask for HOA By-law information when we onboard new properties. If not present in Appfolio, you may skip this document.)
11. Pool addendum: https://treaty-oak-property-management-llc.helpscoutdocs.com/article/133-properties-with-pools-in-process-8-21-24

The loom video to create a residential lease in Zipforms.

Steps to create the residential lease agreement

1. Access Zipforms:
   • Log in to Zipforms and locate the listing for which you need to create a residential lease.
2. Select Lease Document:
   • Navigate to the "Documents" tab and choose the "Residential Lease" option.
3. Attach Required Documents:
   • Add all necessary documents as outlined in the provided list.
4. Rental Flood Disclosure:
   • Mandatory for all properties. Most properties should already have a RF disclosure/addendum attached to the PMA that the owner signed. Check Appfolio first, confirm if there is an RF disclosure attached that has been signed by the owners. If there is an owner-signed RF disclosure, then you may use that. Just attach it to the lease document and have the tenants sign. Since the owners have already signed it, then the owners does not need to sign anything.
   • If there is NOT an RF disclosure that is already signed by the owners, then here's what to do:
     • Leave the RF disclosure out of the lease packet and send the lease to the tenants to sign immediately. This way, we get an executed lease ASAP.
     • Then, immediately after sending the lease to the tenants, send the RF addendum + a blank Lead Based Paint Addendum (if the property was built before 1978) to the owner to sign.
     • Once the owner(s) sign, upload the files WITHOUT the tenant's signatures to the Appfolio property page. This way, we can reuse the document in future leases.
     • Finally, send the RF addendum (and LBPA if needed) with the owner's signature to the tenants to sign, and upload the tenant-signed copy to the tenant page in AF.
5. Lead-Based Paint Addendum (LBPA)
   • Required only if the property was built before 1978. Check MLS to confirm the age of a particular property. If built later, then the LBPA is not needed. Note that both the disclosure and addendum are signed by the owners during onboarding.
6. Verify Key Lease Details: Ensure the following information is accurate:

• Lease Start Date
• Lease Expiration Date
• Rent Amount
• Prorated Rent
• Calculate the prorated amount for March based on the lease start date. Let's say the lease start date is 3/14/2025. Then:
  • Formula: (Monthly Rent ÷ Total Days in March) × Number of Days Occupied in March.
  • Example: (2,195÷31)×18 = 1,274.52 (rounded to $1,275).
  • Make sure when counting the number of days you include the tenants move in date. If there are 31 days and the move in date is the 15th then they are paying for 17 days of rent.
  • You can just plug a prompt into ChatGPT and ask it to spit out the a $ amount for the prorated rent.
• Late fee policy (as specified on the property page).
• Pet details: Number of pets and pet deposit ($500 per pet). If the pet is an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) or Service Animal, the pet security deposit is waived.
  • Important: Animal Addendum is still required for ESA and Service animals. Please always include the Animal Addendum, but do not charge a pet security deposit. For context, here is information on ESAs and Service Animals, and why we do not charge for them.
    • Example 1: Tenant has only an ESA. Generate the Animal Addendum, but do not include a security deposit. Just write 'ESA' on the deposit line.
    • Example 2: if the tenant has 1 normal animal, and 1 ESA, then the ESA still needs to be added to the deposit line "$500 + ESA"
  • Important Pt. 2:
    • If pet screening is pending to due an 'assistance animal verification', and PM has approved with this "conditional item', then you'll need to include on the pet addendum: "Treaty Oak Reserves the Right to Charge the $500 Pet deposit if the Support/ Assistance animal paperwork comes back as denied or fraudulent". 
• Check the 'Notes' section in Appfolio for any special info regarding Lawn Maintenance, utilities, or other special lease terms we need to include. If this is a unit at a multi-family property, be sure to click into the correct 'Unit' tab.
  • Example: As shown in the Appfolio info below, this property already has a monthly lawn maintenance service with a $40 monthly charge to the tenants. It also has a special utilities payment structure. Both of these items need to be addressed on the lease (section 11 for utilities, section 17.B for lawn maintenance)

7. Additional Addenda:

• Appliance Addendum: Details will be provided by the property manager.
• Military Addendum: Typically includes tenant's initials stating, "I’m not in the military."
• Pool Addendum (only properties that have a pool in the backyard, NOT properties with a "community pool"): https://treaty-oak-property-management-llc.helpscoutdocs.com/article/133-properties-with-pools-in-process-8-21-24

8. Inventory & Condition Form:
   • This form is attached to the lease but is filled out separately by the tenants. They will email the completed form at a later time.
9. Special Provisions
   1. Tenant must activate utilities at the property on the lease commencement date.
10. Finalize Lease:

• Include the mold remediation document at the end of the lease.
• Attach the lead-based paint document if the property was built before 1978.

10. Download the lease:
    • Download & rename the lease as 'Residential lease - property address.
11. Send to the PM for review. Template below:

Recipients: PM

Subject: Lease Agreement Approval Request for {{PROPERTY}}

Body:

Hi {{NAME}},

Please see attached lease agreement for {{ADDRESS}}. Could you please review and approve if everything looks good?

{{PLEASE ENTER ANY UNIQUE DETAILS ABOUT THE LEASE THAT THE PM MAY NEED TO KNOW. DOUBLE DEPOSIT, SPECIAL LEASE TERMS, ETC. IF THERE'S NOTHING SPECIAL, YOU CAN JUST DELETE THIS LINE}}

Thanks!

• Once the PM approves the lease, proceed to send the lease agreement via DocuSign.

  
  
  

List of pages that you need to check/fill on the lease:

• Lease Agreement:
• Page 1 (owner/tenants names and property info, start and end dates)
• Page 2 (rent, prorated rent and their due dates)
• Page 4 (security deposit)
• Page 5 (occupants)
• Page 6 (HOA)
• Page 13 (utility info under special provisions)
• Page 15 (checking all attached documents)

• Page 17 (PM's name and tenant's name)

  
  
• TOP Appliance Addendum (fill using DocuSign)

• TOP Military Addendum (fill using DocuSign)

  
  
• Animal Agreement:

1. Page 1 (animal info)
2. Page 2 (security deposit if not ESA/Service Animal)
3. Page 3 (PM and tenant name)

Sending Lease Agreements via DocuSign

• Access your DocuSign account and upload the lease agreement.

• Upon uploading, a popup will appear to select the appropriate template (e.g., "Residential Lease - 3P," which includes two approved applicants and one property manager).
• Choose the template based on the recipients.

• Retrieve the approved applicants’ names and email addresses from the application page.
• Enter the recipient details and email subject at the bottom. Click next.
• Make sure to set the 'Signing Order' when you enter recipients. Tenants ALWAYS need to sign first. The PM needs to sign second. We want to have final say on all contracts in case we want to cancel, so it's very important that PM is the 2nd in the signing order.

• Review and add necessary fields, such as:
• Signatures: For tenants and property managers.
• Initials: At the bottom of every page.
• Dates signed and text boxes as required.

• Add text boxes for the tenants to fill in their emergency contact information.

• Add signature fields for the tenants and the property manager.

• Appliances Addendum: Verify the information provided by the Executive Assistant or Property Manager in the email. Add 'owner' if the appliance is furnished by the owner. Add 'Tenant' of the appliance is furnished by the tenant.

Appliances Addendum

• Military Addendum: Typically, initials are required for "I'm not in the military." If different information is applicable, it will be noted in the email.

Military Addendum

8. Mandatory Documents:

• Rental Flood Disclosure: Add signature fields for this mandatory document, included in every lease agreement.

Rental Flood Disclosure

• Lead-Based Paint Addendum: Include this addendum and add signature fields if the property was built before 1978.

Lead-Based Paint Addendum

• Review the document thoroughly to ensure all required fields are added.
• Send the lease agreement to the recipients for signatures.