Free templates
Free New York rental templates
Ready-to-use letters, notices, checklists, and the official riders a New York lease needs — free, no account required. Copy them or download a PDF. These are templates, not legal advice.
For renters
Demand the return of your security deposit. New York landlords must return it within 14 days of move-out with an itemized statement.
Legal advice recommended before use.
Put a repair request in writing. New York's warranty of habitability requires landlords to keep your home safe and livable.
Legal advice recommended before use.
Ask a past landlord for a reference you can use on future applications.
Legal advice recommended before use.
Everything to have ready before you apply, so you can move fast on the right apartment.
Legal advice recommended before use.
Document the condition of your apartment at move-in to protect your security deposit.
Legal advice recommended before use.
Sublet your apartment properly — with the landlord consent New York generally requires.
Legal advice recommended before use.
Set clear expectations with a roommate — rent shares, deposit, utilities, and house rules.
Legal advice recommended before use.
Tell your landlord in writing that you won't be renewing and will vacate by a specific date — timed to the advance notice your tenancy requires.
Legal advice recommended before use.
Ask your landlord to end your lease before its term is up. New York landlords also have a legal duty to try to re-rent the unit rather than collect the full remaining rent from you.
Legal advice recommended before use.
Formally ask your landlord's permission to sublet, the way New York law requires. Send this before signing anything with a subtenant — a sublease itself doesn't create consent.
Legal advice recommended before use.
Your repair request was ignored — send this firmer follow-up letter and put your landlord on notice that you're filing a 311/HPD complaint next.
Legal advice recommended before use.
Document and object to a landlord who locked you out or removed your belongings without a court order. In New York, only a court-ordered eviction is legal — self-help eviction is a crime.
Legal advice recommended before use.
Put a pattern of landlord harassment on the written record and put your landlord on formal notice. New York law defines tenant harassment and gives you a civil cause of action.
Legal advice recommended before use.
Landlord ignored your deposit demand letter? Send this final notice before filing in NYC Small Claims Court — it puts them on notice you're seeking the deposit plus statutory damages.
Legal advice recommended before use.
Ask a landlord to formally release a guarantor once the lease term they guaranteed has ended, since extending a guaranty past its original term requires the guarantor's written consent.
Legal advice recommended before use.
Give your landlord or former landlord your new address in writing, so your security deposit, refund, and any mail get sent to the right place.
Legal advice recommended before use.
Tell your co-tenants and landlord you're moving out, with a clear date and next steps — separate from your roommate agreement.
Legal advice recommended before use.
Terminate your lease early under New York General Obligations Law § 227-c if you're a survivor of domestic violence, a sexual offense, stalking, or human trafficking.
Legal advice recommended before use.
Transfer your lease entirely to a new tenant — rather than subletting — with your landlord's written consent, as New York law generally requires.
Legal advice recommended before use.
When one roommate wants to sublet their room or the whole apartment temporarily, get the other roommates' written consent first — before it becomes a dispute.
Legal advice recommended before use.
For landlords
Return a tenant's deposit with the itemized statement New York law requires within 14 days of move-out.
Legal advice recommended before use.
The written 14-day rent demand New York requires before starting a nonpayment case.
Legal advice recommended before use.
Offer a tenant a lease renewal, with the advance notice New York requires for rent increases.
Legal advice recommended before use.
New York tenants can require a rent receipt for cash or any payment. Here's a compliant one.
Legal advice recommended before use.
Document unit condition at move-in and move-out to support fair, defensible deposit deductions.
Legal advice recommended before use.
Required for most housing built before 1978. Use the official EPA/HUD disclosure form and pamphlet.
Legal advice recommended before use.
NYC landlords must give tenants the prior year's bedbug infestation history at lease signing.
Legal advice recommended before use.
NYC leases must include the window guard notice; guards are required where a child 10 or under lives.
Legal advice recommended before use.
Rent-stabilized units require the official DHCR rider in the tenant's primary language where available.
Legal advice recommended before use.
A free, fillable New York residential lease agreement. Enter your terms, sign online, download a PDF — deposit cap, late-fee limit and NY riders built in.
Legal advice recommended before use.
A simple month-to-month tenancy agreement, with the termination-notice periods New York requires.
Legal advice recommended before use.
A guaranty for a lease — where a third party agrees to cover the tenant's obligations.
Legal advice recommended before use.
A signed letter certifying how much rent a tenant paid over a period — for tax prep, benefits applications, or a visa/immigration file. New York has no official "certificate of rent" form, so this is the standard substitute.
Legal advice recommended before use.
A lease addendum spelling out your pet policy — pet rent, rules, and liability — without stacking an extra deposit past New York's one-month deposit cap.
Legal advice recommended before use.
A tenant moved out and left belongings behind. Use this notice to document what was left, give a reasonable window to reclaim it, and protect yourself before disposing of anything.
Legal advice recommended before use.
If your unit is covered by New York's Good Cause Eviction law, a non-renewal or above-threshold rent increase needs a stated, legally recognized reason. This notice documents it.
Legal advice recommended before use.
One verified profile. Every application.
Free to start. Build your profile in minutes and share it with any New York landlord.