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Record the rent, term and move-in date before the tenancy agreement is drawn up. Build your residential lease letter of intent in minutes with Document Genius's step-by-step questionnaire.
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A residential lease letter of intent records the terms a prospective tenant and a landlord expect to put into a tenancy agreement, before the lease itself is drawn up. It covers the property, the rent, the term, and the move-in date.
Most ordinary lettings skip it entirely and go straight to an application and a lease. The letter earns its place where something about the arrangement needs settling first, or where several people are competing for the same home.
It is not an application and it is not a lease. Screening, referencing, and the signed tenancy agreement all still happen, and this document simply records what both sides currently expect.
Keep it short. A residential letter that runs to several pages is usually trying to do the lease’s job, and that is where problems start.
Send a residential lease letter of intent when the letting is agreed in outline but not yet documented. Common situations include:
Where an agent is managing the letting, follow their process instead. Sending a separate letter alongside a formal application usually slows things down rather than helping.
A residential lease letter of intent should fit on one page and stick to the commercial terms.
Name the landlord and prospective tenant, and give the full address including any unit number.
State the length of the tenancy and the date you expect it to begin.
Give the monthly rent, when it is due, and how it will be paid.
State the proposed deposit amount and note that it will be handled as the tenancy agreement and local rules require.
Say which bills the tenant pays and which the landlord covers.
List who will live there and whether any pets are proposed.
Note whether the property is furnished, anything the landlord will do before move-in, and how repairs will be reported.
Add a short expiry date and signature lines for both parties.
Residential tenancies are closely regulated, and this letter is the wrong place for several things people are tempted to include.
Leave out anything about the tenant’s personal characteristics, household composition, or background. Selecting tenants is governed by housing rules that vary by location, and a document recording that kind of information is both inappropriate and potentially unlawful.
Leave out deposit terms stated as settled. How much may be taken, how it must be held, and when it must be returned are all set by local rules, so describe the deposit as proposed and let the tenancy agreement and those rules govern.
Leave out anything purporting to waive rights. Notice periods, repair obligations, and access rules are largely fixed by law in most places, and a letter cannot contract out of them.
Tip: Do not hand over keys or take rent on the strength of this letter. Allowing occupation can create a tenancy on terms nobody intended, and it is the single most common way an informal arrangement goes wrong.
Residential tenancy law differs enormously between jurisdictions. Have a local housing lawyer or advice service review anything unusual before either side signs.
A residential lease letter of intent takes about fifteen minutes. Document Genius walks you through each section with simple questions.
Open with the date, both names, and the full address.
Monthly rent, length of tenancy, and proposed start date.
Proposed deposit and who pays which utilities.
Who will live there, any pets, and the state the property will be in.
Confirm that referencing and a signed tenancy agreement will follow.
Date it, sign it, and keep a copy. Start yours now and have it ready today.
If a prospective tenant sends you one, treat it as an opening position rather than an application.
Reply in writing. Confirming which terms you accept, and which you do not, keeps a clear record and avoids a tenant believing something was agreed when it was not.
Do not let it replace your screening. References, income verification, and whatever checks you normally run should still happen, and agreeing terms in principle does not commit you to letting to that person.
Be careful with timing. Saying you will hold the property while a tenant arranges something is a real commitment, so put an end date on it if you agree at all.
Keep your response factual and consistent. Applying the same criteria and the same process to everyone who enquires is both good practice and the safest position if a decision is ever questioned.
The letter is a staging post, and the tenancy agreement is what actually governs the arrangement.
Expect the lease to be longer and more specific. Repair obligations, access, notice, subletting, and end-of-tenancy procedures are all handled there rather than in a one-page letter.
Read the lease against the letter before signing. Terms sometimes shift between the two, and the moment to raise a difference is before signature rather than months into the tenancy.
Get the deposit handled properly at the point the tenancy starts. Many jurisdictions impose specific requirements on how deposits are held and what information must be given to the tenant, and those obligations attach to the tenancy rather than to this letter.
If either side is unsure what applies locally, a housing advice service or a local solicitor can confirm it quickly and cheaply.
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