How to create a lease (with the deposit-cap check)

The lease binds unit, residents, term, rent, and deposit — and the save button is where Stonerow stops the most expensive mistake in landlording.

Steps

1. Under Leasing, open Tenants and create the tenant record(s) first — name and contact details.
2. Open Leases and create a new lease: pick the unit, add the tenant(s), set start date, term, and monthly rent.
3. Add every resident with the right role — primary, co-tenant, occupant, or guarantor. Each one can get portal access later.
4. Enter the security deposit. On save, Stonerow checks it against the property state's cap — two months' rent in Connecticut (one month if the tenant is 62 or older), one month in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. An over-cap deposit will not save.
5. Record pets and vehicles on the lease if applicable.
6. To paper it: open Lease Templates, render your template against this lease, and print the PDF — or send it for e-signature on Standard.

After the lease exists

Give it a recurring rent charge so the ledger stays current (next guide), and enable the tenant's portal login from the Tenants list.

Deposit-cap figures are general information, not legal advice.

Common questions

Can I enter a lease that already started?

Yes. Backdate the start date and enter the rent and deposit you actually hold. The cap check still runs on save, so an inherited over-cap deposit surfaces the day you migrate rather than the day the tenant moves out and asks for it back with damages attached.

Roommates: one lease or several?

One lease with several residents, each given a role — primary, co-tenant, occupant, or guarantor. They share one ledger and one balance, and each can have their own portal login to the same records.

What if the tenant is 62 or older in Connecticut?

Connecticut's cap drops from two months' rent to one for that household. Enter the deposit that reflects it; the save-time check is the last line of defence, not a substitute for knowing the rule.

Does creating a lease start charging rent?

No. Add a recurring charge to the lease first. On Core you post the month yourself; on Standard the automation pack posts it on schedule. Until then the lease exists but the ledger stays empty.