One of my goals has always been to get the paperwork under control - to have my leases "match up" regarding clauses and phrases, and to make sure renewal leases incorporated any terms I have changed or added during the past year. My lease is a living document: it changes according to what happens at move-outs, things I learn here and at the Convention, etc.

But even starting with one master lease, they quickly became too specialized per unit, property or town, depending on circumstances.

Some pay their own power. Some have sub-meters and reimburse us for their portion. Some pay their water directly, some have sub-meters and reimburse us. Some are on well. Trash service differs. Mail service differs. Lawn care. Etc.

We identified all of the differences, and all of the customized places in a lease (name, rent, security deposit, rent and SD accounts, term, pets or no pets, etc.)

DH created a master data file and a master lease using my most recent version. Now when I need to create a lease, I go to the data file (a spreadsheet) and enter the data there. For the customized places, we created a list of paragraphs for those properties and I can choose from a list of conditions.

This data is then merged into the master lease and creates the "personalized" version for that tenant.

This does two big things for us:

1) Tenant data is now entered into one file - if I need to check a tenant's rent or security deposit amount or term or whatever, I just look in one file for all of them.

2) If I generally update the Master Lease, it will be updated for every subsequent lease for every property from then on.

Thanks for the idea!

I already keep my tenant info in a spreadsheet. Love the idea of setting it up as a merge file!

I have already emailed my current residents to ask if they wish to be offered a renewal for the 18 - 19 lease term. They have to let me know by Feb 10. I've got two saying they are moving out at the end of May (one graduating, one moving in with brother and looking for a two bedroom), three asking for renewals so far.

As a Realtor I am required to use the NC RE Comm. lease. It covers just about everything one would expect in a lease. There are sections that do not apply to a specific property i.e. pool, etc. so we just have to complete it as it applies to that specific tenant/property.

Similar to your policy everytime a tenant creates a unique situation we've never encountered before the lease is updated to include a clause for that situation.

The beauty of NC's lease is it is written in clear understandable language that even the densest tenant can understand.

We also have a multitude of addendums also written by the commission. This what we use for specific situations i.e. pet addendums, lead paint disclosures, pool use, etc.

I've never understood the insistence here to not use addendums. Leases are nothing more than contract law and addendums are common in contracts. Our leases require that we list every addendum that is attached so that there is never a question what has been provided.

I know that some on here, especially Brad, are firmly against addendums. The reason the comm. uses them is too prevent a long, drawn out lease that covers everything under the sun much of which does not apply and discourages tenants from reading them.

I also include a pamphlet on Tenant/LL laws and one one NC's laws on SD's.

I have friends who are licensed in other states and we've each read the others comm. issued leases. NC's is 6 pages long. The next shortest is 17 pages and the longest is 33.