Know exactly what you're signing before you hand over the deposit.
Rental and commercial lease agreements are full of clauses that look standard but aren't. Attorly reads your lease in full and tells you what you're responsible for, what the landlord can do, and what might surprise you later.
Review my leaseNot legal advice: This page explains, in plain language, how a legal document typically works. It is general information — not legal advice about your specific situation. If the stakes are meaningful, or a deadline is close, speak with a licensed lawyer before relying on anything you read here.
What a lease actually commits you to
A lease is a contract giving you the right to use property for a specific period, in exchange for rent and compliance with a long list of conditions you usually don't read. Most leases are drafted by the landlord's lawyer for the landlord's benefit — standard forms are rarely neutral.
The meaningful decisions are made in clauses you skim: rent escalation, assignment, default, personal guarantees, restoration on move-out, and renewal mechanics. These clauses rarely bite until something changes — you need to sublet, the business pivots, the market shifts — and by then the lease governs.
Attorly reads both residential and commercial leases, compares the key clauses to market standard for your jurisdiction, and flags deviations that typically cost tenants the most.
How it works
Get clarity on any legal document in three steps
Upload your document
Drag in a PDF, Word file, or image scan. Any format, any language.
Attorly analyzes it
Our AI reads the full document, flags risks, extracts deadlines, and identifies what matters most for your situation.
Read your plain-language report
You get a clear breakdown: what the document says, what you need to do, and whether you should talk to a lawyer.
What Attorly finds in a lease
The clauses that cause disputes — identified before you move in.
Rent increases and escalation clauses
Whether your rent can increase, by how much, how often, and under what conditions — including CPI-linked or percentage-based escalation.
Deposit rules and return conditions
Exactly what qualifies as damage versus normal wear, how long the landlord has to return your deposit, and what deductions they're allowed to make.
Early termination penalties
What happens if you need to leave before the lease ends — break fees, notice requirements, and whether subletting is an option.
Maintenance and repair responsibilities
Who is responsible for what when something breaks — and any clauses that shift typical landlord costs onto you.
Restrictions and prohibited uses
No pets, no subletting, no home office, no alterations — Attorly lists every restriction so none of them catch you off guard.
Renewal and rent-increase mechanics
Attorly highlights the renewal option, notice window, and how rent increases are calculated — fixed, CPI-indexed, or landlord's discretion.
Personal guarantee exposure
For commercial leases especially, personal guarantees can attach your personal assets to the business's lease obligations for years. Attorly extracts the guarantee scope and duration.
Before you sign the lease
Negotiate now. Almost nothing in a lease is non-negotiable.
- 1
Pin down the real rent
Base rent is rarely the full cost. Look for operating expenses, CAM charges, utilities, parking, taxes, insurance, and escalation clauses. Attorly totals the all-in cost and projects it over the lease term.
- 2
Understand the security deposit rules
How much, where it's held, under what conditions it's returned, and how long the landlord has to return it. Jurisdictions vary — Attorly flags clauses that don't comply with local law.
- 3
Check what you're allowed to do with the space
Use restrictions, permitted alterations, subletting, assignment, pets, guests, signage. The lease will define what counts as a "breach" — some clauses you'll violate accidentally on week one.
- 4
Read the default and termination sections
Cure periods, acceleration clauses, and penalty rent. A missed payment during a bad month can trigger the remaining rent for the entire term if the acceleration clause is aggressive.
- 5
Take photos and document the condition before move-in
Walk through with the landlord or a witness, photograph every room, note every defect in writing, and attach it to the lease. This single step eliminates the most common deposit dispute.
Common questions about lease agreements
Related situations we help with
Read your lease before you hand over the keys
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Review my lease