Residential tenancy or lease agreement
Review a lease before you sign the tenancy
Leases are signed under time pressure, which is precisely why they are worth twenty minutes. The clauses that produce disputes are predictable: deposit deductions defined so loosely that ordinary wear becomes chargeable, a break clause available only to the landlord, and repair obligations quietly shifted onto the tenant.
For tenants, flatmates and small-business tenants.
No account needed. You see the price before paying, and the report opens immediately after.
What we check in a residential tenancy or lease agreement
Every review of this contract type runs the full checklist, then reports what it found with the clause quoted and the line number.
- Deposit amount, where it is protected, and the grounds for deduction
- The inventory and check-out process, and who pays for it
- Break clause - whether it exists, whether it is mutual, and the notice required
- Rent review mechanism and any index-linked increases
- Repair obligations split between landlord and tenant
- Fees: renewal, late payment, reference and administration charges
- Restrictions on guests, subletting, pets and working from home
- Joint and several liability where you share with others
- Access rights and how much notice the landlord must give
- What happens at the end of the fixed term if nobody does anything
Red flags we see most often
These are the specific terms that turn a routine residential tenancy or lease agreement into an expensive one.
- Deposit deductions for "any damage" with no allowance for fair wear and tear
- A break clause exercisable only by the landlord
- Tenant responsible for repairs to the structure, boiler or roof
- Joint and several liability with no mechanism to replace a departing housemate
- Automatic rollover into a new fixed term rather than a periodic tenancy
- Administration or renewal fees that may be prohibited in your jurisdiction
- Rent increases at the landlord's discretion during the fixed term
What you get back
Not a summary of what the contract says. A list of what to change, and the wording to change it to.
Risk score and verdict
A calibrated 0–100 score with a one-line verdict. Clean documents score low — the score is only useful if it can say "this is fine".
Findings with the quote
Each issue names the clause, quotes it verbatim, explains the consequence in your contract's own numbers, and says how far it deviates from market standard.
Pasteable redlines
Replacement wording drafted for each issue, ready to send back to the other side.
What's missing
The standard protections for this contract type that your document does not contain.
Deadlines to calendar
Every date and trigger that costs you something if you miss it, with the consequence spelled out.
Negotiation playbook
Your asks in priority order, the reason to give for each, and the fallback position if they refuse.
Questions about residential tenancy or lease agreements
What should I check before signing a lease?
The deposit terms and where it is protected, whether there is a break clause and whether it is mutual, who is responsible for which repairs, the total of all fees beyond rent, and whether liability is joint and several if you are sharing. Take dated photographs of everything on the day you move in.
What is a break clause?
A right to end the tenancy before the fixed term expires, usually after a minimum period and on a stated notice. Check whether it is available to both parties or only to the landlord, and whether it is conditional on rent being fully paid up - a condition that can void the break if you were a day late once.
Can a landlord deduct anything from my deposit?
Only for genuine breaches of the tenancy, and normally not for fair wear and tear. Deposit protection rules and the grounds for deduction vary by jurisdiction; our review quotes what your lease actually says and flags where it goes further than typical.
What does joint and several liability mean in a lease?
Each tenant is liable for the whole rent, not their share. If a housemate leaves and stops paying, the landlord can pursue you for the entire amount. Ask for a replacement mechanism before signing.
Review your residential tenancy or lease agreement now
$49, no account, about two minutes. See a complete sample report first if you want to judge the depth before paying — and if yours finds nothing you can act on, we refund it.
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