- Validity of the lease agreement is another important point to consider. This would state the period of time of use by the tenant as well as the number of renewals. If you share the property with a room mate, a separate clause should be included to specify the tenure of your roommate.



- As the property owner, you can have some of your own terms like permitting pets within your property or whether the tenant can share or sublet the apartment etc. Remember, oral rules will be followed orally. So make it a point to mention everything about the apartment on paper. This should include the alterations to be made by tenant and repairs that would be covered by the tenant.



- You can regulate the number of visitors to your property. This implies that the guests of your tenant cannot overstay the limited time period. If the apartment is shared then the roommates can include a subsection about using the common facilities of the property. In any case, for visitors, the consent of the roommate is necessary. In legal terms, this clause is known as use and occupancy.

- Amount of the rent should be mentioned with the actual break up. If the total rent includes the charges of maintenance, electricity, heating etc, mention them in the lease itself. The cost that are to be bore by the tenants like sewer, cable, etc should be mentioned in a separately. The agreement should make it clear whether surplus charges need to be paid by your tenants. In case of shared accommodation, these utilities would be shared. And if the increase in bill is for one tenant, he or she must pay the extra amount alone.

- Detailed description of the status of apartment must be mentioned in the lease too. Usually a sheet containing different parts of the apartment is given to the tenants when they move in. For example, if the drawers of kitchen are not smooth, mark the drawers in the kitchen section. So, when you move in a new house, meticulously check each part and let the owner know about them, so that proper action can be taken. Otherwise, the repair charge would be deducted from your caution money when you move out.

- The agreement ends with the signature by both the parties. In absence of the signature of any one, the agreement stands invalid. Thus, both the property owner and the tenant are expected to read the lease paper properly and then sign it. As mentioned before, this is a very crucial document and therefore should be kept in a safe place until you move out and the agreement is terminated.