A lease amendment modifies part or all of a lease agreement. It is a legally binding contract that a landlord and tenant sign to agree upon changed terms of a lease.
Alternative Form
If you want to change your original lease to extend its end date, use our lease extension instead of this lease amendment.
What Is a Lease Amendment?
A lease amendment is a written document that details changes or modifications to the terms in a previously executed lease agreement. If a landlord and tenant agree to change a lease term from the original lease, an amendment is a great way to document the new, updated parts while ensuring the rest of the document remains in full force.
Check the original lease agreement to see if you can amend the contract and how to amend the document. A lease agreement may have multiple amendments. Be sure to number each amendment in sequential order.
If an amendment contains terms that conflict with the original lease, it will override the original lease.
When to Use Lease Amendments
A landlord or tenant may want to change a lease term after both parties have signed the lease agreement.
When Would a Landlord Request a Lease Amendment?
A landlord might request an amendment to implement any of the following:
- Rent reduction: Reducing rent might encourage tenants to pay on time.
- Rent abatement: A landlord might suspend a tenant’s rent payments temporarily because of significant renovations on the property.
- Rent deferral: A landlord might defer rent payments to assist a tenant in a difficult financial situation. In this case, the landlord usually requests the deferred payments by a future date.
When Would a Tenant Request a Lease Amendment?
A tenant might request an amendment to gain permission to:
- Have a pet live in their unit.
- Have a roommate live in their unit.
- Alter the living space in a way that falls outside the existing lease agreement’s provisions.
All parties to a lease agreement must agree to any changes made by an amendment. The parties’ signatures on this document attest to the new arrangement.
How to Amend a Lease
Step 1 – Talk to the Other Party
Set up a meeting with the other party to discuss why you want to propose an amendment to the lease. Be honest about your reasons and allow for a two-way conversation.
Step 2 – Write the Amendment
Write the amendment according to the conversation you had with the other party. Send them a draft and clarify the use of any legal terminology or provisions you included.
Step 3 – Obtain Signatures
Obtain the consent of all parties, including the landlord and all tenants on the original lease, and have them sign the changes into effect. Distribute signed copies of the lease with its new amendments to all relevant parties.
IMPORTANT: What If a Landlord and Tenant Disagree?
If a landlord and tenant disagree on a lease amendment, they may try to agree via negotiation or mediation. They may also use the dispute resolution process outlined in the original lease agreement.
If they can’t reach an agreement, they’ll abide by the original terms of the primary lease.
How to Write a Lease Amendment
Before you fill in your amendment, write your state at the top of the form. Then, follow the subsequent steps:
Step 1 – Enter Lease Agreement Details
Provide the full name/title of the original lease agreement and write the date it took effect.
Step 2 – Fill in Landlord and Tenant Details
Provide the full name of the landlord (the party who owns the property the tenant is leasing) and the tenant (the party leasing the property from the landlord).
Step 3 – Restate Lease Agreement Details
Enter the full name or title of the original lease agreement. Fill in the date the landlord and tenant entered into the original lease agreement (in most cases, this is the date the landlord and tenant signed the agreement).
Write the street (physical) address of the property the tenant is leasing or renting. Include any unit or apartment number, if applicable.
You can also specify the section (or article) number in the original lease agreement to which the amendments or revisions are pertaining.
Step 4 – Identify Provisions
This section is applicable if you want to add any new provisions to the original lease agreement. Provide the latest article or section number and the text of the new provision. You can add as many new clauses as you like.
Step 5 – Document Sentence Amendments
This section is applicable if you want to replace specific sentences in the original lease agreement. Provide the original article or section number, the text being replaced, and the new text you’re adding. You can replace and add as many sentences as you like.
Step 6 – Note Sentence Deletions
This section is applicable if you want to delete a particular sentence in the original lease agreement. Provide the original section or sentence number (i.e., Section 2.5, sentence 3) and the text you want to delete. You can delete as many sentences as you like.
Step 7 – Confirm Section Deletions
This section is applicable if you want to delete a specific section in the original lease agreement. Provide the original agreement’s Section number that you want to delete. You can delete as many sections as you like.
Step 8 – Identify Section Amendments and Restatements
This section is applicable if you want to amend and restate (replace in its entirety) an entire section in the original lease agreement. Provide the original article or section number and the new text for the section. You can amend and restate as many sections as you like.
Step 9 – Note Section Changes
This part is applicable if you want to make specific changes to a section in the original lease agreement. Provide the article or section number and the text of the change. You can create as many changes as you like.
Step 10 – Write Additional Provisions
If there are additional changes you want to make that you did not address previously, describe them here.
Step 11 – Choose Governing Law
Confirm that state whose laws will govern this amendment.
Sample Lease Amendment
Download a free lease amendment template in PDF or Word format below.
