A fillable residential lease for New York rentals

General Obligations Law section 7-103 requires a residential security deposit to be held in a separate account, and the money is due back within fourteen days after the tenant vacates. The clause here states that window and the separate account, which are the two facts a tenant is entitled to know before handing over a deposit.

Short windows are unforgiving. Writing the fourteen days into the lease, next to the deposit amount, means nobody can later argue about when the clock started or what the money was held for.

A late fee may only be charged as section 238-a allows, and only once the rent is five days late. Many leases found online still carry an older, more aggressive fee that would not survive review, which is why the clause here ties the fee to the five-day threshold instead of asserting an amount with no basis.

A modest, properly framed fee is worth more than a large one a tenant can challenge on the first missed month.

Real Property Law section 235-b implies a warranty that the premises are fit for human habitation, and it applies whether or not the lease says so. Stating it sets expectations on day one and gives a tenant a clear basis for reporting a problem rather than withholding rent.

Pair the clause with the move-in checklist and you have a documented starting condition for the unit, which is the strongest protection a deposit provides.

Enter the landlord details, the premises address including the unit, the tenant names, the term dates, monthly rent, the day rent is due and the deposit. Anything left blank prints blank, which is deliberate: a lease with an invented landlord name is worse than a lease with a line for one.

Choose Letter for a standard file copy or Legal where you attach addenda, add signature fields over the signature lines, and print at actual size so the paper matches the file. The preview carries a diagonal watermark until a credit is spent on the clean copy.