New York Lease Agreement: What to Include

A New York residential lease needs to reflect this state's actual rules on security deposits, entry notice, late fees, and required disclosures — not a generic template written for a different state. The figures below come from New York's residential landlord-tenant statute; where the state sets no fixed number, that's stated plainly rather than glossed over, since "the state doesn't specify" is itself something you need to know.

Security deposit

Security deposit limit: 1 month rent for most residential rentals. New York requires landlords to pay interest on held deposits — check the current statutory rate and any escrow requirements before you hold tenant funds. Return deadline after move-out: 14 Days.

Entry notice, late fees, and rent increases

Entry notice: No statewide fixed hours; reasonable notice recommended; NYC/local rules may apply. Late fees: Lesser of $50 or 5% of monthly rent, with a grace period of 5. Rent increase notice for month-to-month tenancies: 30/60/90 based on length of occupancy/lease term days. (Entry notice citation: No statewide statute.)

Required disclosures

A New York lease should include or accompany:

• • Federal lead-based paint
• • bedbug history (NYC/state contexts)
• • sprinkler disclosure
• • indoor air/allergen/local disclosures
• • rent-stabilized rider where applicable

Eviction notice for nonpayment

For nonpayment of rent, New York's standard notice period is 14 days. This is the minimum notice before you can move to the next step in the eviction process — actual court timelines run longer once a case is filed. (Eviction notice citation: N.Y. RPAPL § 711(2) (14 days).)

What actually distinguishes New York

New York caps the security deposit at: 1 month rent for most residential rentals.

New York is one of a smaller group of states that requires landlords to pay tenants interest on held security deposits — factor that into how you hold the funds.

There's no statewide statutory notice period for landlord entry in New York, which means the lease is the only thing establishing that expectation — silence in the lease leaves it genuinely undefined.

New York requires a comparatively long 14 notice period for nonpayment before you can file — plan for that lead time when a tenant falls behind.

Rent increase notice for month-to-month tenancies in New York is 30/60/90 based on length of occupancy/lease term days — different from the 30-day default most other states use, so don't assume the general rule applies here.

Sources and the bottom line

The figures above reflect New York's residential landlord-tenant statute as summarized on LeasePilot HQ's New York landlord-tenant law page, which lists the specific sources behind each number. Security deposit rules specifically are codified at N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law § 7-108 (1 month), with the return deadline set by N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law § 7-108 (14 days). Primary and cross-reference sources used in compiling this page:

• • https://ag.ny.gov/publications/residential-tenants-rights-guide
• • https://law.justia.com/codes/new-york/gob/article-7/title-1/7-108/
• • https://ipropertymanagement.com/laws/security-deposits
• • https://www.justia.com/real-estate/landlord-tenant/information-for-landlords/right-of-entry/
• • https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/state-landlord-tenant-laws

State landlord-tenant law changes through legislative sessions and court decisions — treat the numbers above as a starting point, verify against New York's current statute (linked above) before relying on them for an actual lease, and see LeasePilot HQ's full New York landlord-tenant law summary for the complete breakdown, or generate a lease with New York-specific clauses built in automatically.