Change one term. Keep the lease
you already signed.
A lease amendment updates the rent, the dates, or who lives at the property without rewriting the agreement. It records exactly what changed and confirms the rest still stands.
- Attorney-drafted
- Signed by both parties
- ESIGN & UETA valid
How it works
From answers to a signed amendment — in about two minutes
- 01
Identify the lease
The property, the parties, and the date the original lease was signed. That's what ties the amendment to the agreement it changes.
- 02
List what changes
For each term, what it said before and what it says now. Add as many as you need and watch the amendment assemble in real time.
- 03
E-sign & download
Send it to the other party for legally-valid e-signature under ESIGN/UETA, then file the signed PDF with the original lease.
Last updated August 18, 2026
Written by LawLease EditorialReviewed by LawLease Legal Team
By type
Not every change needs an amendment
An amendment edits a term the lease already has. If you're adding something it never covered, or ending the tenancy rather than changing it, one of these is the document you want.
- AD
Addendum
Add something the lease never covered, like pets or parking.
Learn more - LE
Lease extension & renewal
Carry the same tenancy past its end date.
Learn more - RI
Rent increase notice
Raise the rent on a periodic tenancy by notice, not agreement.
Learn more - LR
Lease renewal agreement
Start a fresh fixed term with the same tenant.
Learn more - ML
Mutual lease termination
End the tenancy early, by agreement on both sides.
Learn more
What is a lease amendment?
A lease amendment is a short document that changes specific terms of a lease both parties have already signed. It names the original lease, lists only the provisions that change, and confirms everything else stays in force — so nobody has to rewrite or re-sign the whole agreement.
Once a lease is signed its terms are fixed. If the rent changes or the term is extended, a conversation or an email doesn't change the contract — the lease still says what it said the day it was signed. An amendment is the instrument that closes that gap, and it is also called:
- Lease modification
- Amendment to lease
- Lease modification agreement
- Rent increase amendment
- Amendment to rental agreement
- Lease change agreement
Not sure the change belongs in an amendment? Check it against the addenda catalogue — anything the lease never covered in the first place is an addendum, not an amendment.
Legal considerations
An amendment is a contract in its own right. It needs the same essentials as the lease it changes: identified parties, a clear statement of what is being agreed, and a signature from everyone bound by the original lease. A change one side announced and the other never signed is not an amendment.
It inherits the governing law of the lease rather than asserting its own, so there is no state-by-state amendment the way there is a state-by-state lease. What still has to hold up locally is the change itself — a rent increase written into an amendment does not escape a statutory notice period or a rent-control ceiling because it was agreed in writing.
Every party
who signed the lease has to sign the amendment
1 clause
keeps the rest of the lease in force — without it the amendment can be read as a replacement
No re-signing
the original lease stays in effect underneath
- Amendment or addendum?
- An amendment changes a term the lease already contains — the rent, the end date, who may occupy the property. An addendum adds something the lease never covered, like a pet policy or a parking space. If you're editing an existing term, you want an amendment.
- Rent changes still follow state notice rules
- Agreeing a new figure in writing does not waive a statutory notice period or a local rent-control cap. Check what your state requires before you set the effective date.
- The ratification clause is not optional in practice
- Without a clause confirming the rest of the lease survives, an amendment can be argued to replace the lease altogether — which is rarely what either side intended.
- The effective date need not be the signing date
- Parties often sign ahead of a rent change so the new figure starts cleanly at the beginning of a month. The amendment takes effect on the date written into it.
- Keep the signed amendment with the lease
- The two documents are read together, and a lease produced on its own shows terms that are no longer in force. A lease can be amended as many times as the parties agree — keep the full set.
How to write a lease amendment
Six steps take a signed lease to a signed amendment. Work through them in order — each one closes a gap that makes the change harder to enforce later.
An amendment is meaningless on its own — it has to point unambiguously at one signed lease.
- The date the original lease was signed
- The full property address the lease covers
- A note of any earlier amendments, so the chain stays readable
Free sample lease amendment
Here's the format before you start. Read it through, then build your own version through the guided form and download it as a PDF.
Amendment to Lease Agreement
THIS AMENDMENT TO LEASE AGREEMENT (this “Amendment”) is made on , by and between (“Landlord”) and (“Tenant”).
1. THE LEASE. This Amendment is made to that certain Residential Lease Agreement dated (the “Lease”), concerning the premises located at (the “Premises”). Capitalized terms used but not defined in this Amendment have the meanings given to them in the Lease.
2. EFFECTIVE DATE. The amendments set out below take effect on (the “Effective Date”).
3. AMENDMENTS TO THE LEASE. The Lease is hereby amended as follows: Section is hereby amended to change the from to . Each further change is listed as its own numbered entry.
4. REMAINING TERMS UNCHANGED. Except as expressly amended by this Amendment, all terms, covenants and conditions of the Lease remain unchanged and in full force and effect. In the event of any conflict between this Amendment and the Lease, this Amendment controls.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have executed this Amendment as of the Effective Date.
Not sure what to amend?
Real humans read every message — whether it's about pricing, a state requirement, or getting an amendment signed.