What is a Smoke-Free Property Addendum?

Having it in writing gives landlords and tenants varying an existing lease a single reference point if expectations later diverge — which is precisely when memories of what was agreed stop matching.

There are 18 fields here, grouped into 5 areas — parties and contact details, payment and financial terms, dates, timing and duration, property and premises, and legal protections and risk. Each is a term that causes argument when left unstated, which is why the generator asks for it rather than leaving a gap in the document.

Where these agreements go wrong, it is usually an addendum that contradicts the lease it is stapled to rather than a defect in the boilerplate. Residential tenancies are tightly regulated. Deposit handling, entry notice and eviction procedure are all governed by statute, and non-compliance can cost a landlord the right to evict.

Fill in the form and the smoke-free property addendum assembles as you type, so you can read the finished wording before you download it. The draft is a starting point built on standard contract structure — it is not legal advice, and for a high-value or unusual arrangement it is worth having an attorney check it against the rules in your state.

What matters most in a smoke-free property addendum

Assistance animals are not pets

Fair housing rules generally require reasonable accommodation for service and assistance animals regardless of a no-pets policy or pet fee.

Make rules specific and enforceable

Quiet hours with stated times are enforceable; a general request to be considerate is not.

Both parties sign and each keeps a copy

An unsigned house rules sheet handed over at move-in usually forms no part of the tenancy.

When you need a smoke-free property addendum

  • When the arrangement will repeat: For a relationship that runs across several jobs or periods, agree the standing terms once and let each instance sit under them rather than renegotiating from scratch.
  • When the counterparty is new to you: With no track record between the parties, the written terms do the work that familiarity would otherwise do. That is exactly when precision pays for itself.
  • When the parties are in different places: Naming the governing law and the forum in advance prevents a costly preliminary fight about where any dispute is even heard.
  • When risk needs allocating: Decide who carries which risk and who insures it before an incident rather than after one. Afterwards, both readings of the silence are self-serving.
  • When replacing an earlier arrangement: Issue a fresh smoke-free property addendum when the original terms no longer reflect what the parties actually do. Amending informally leaves two inconsistent records of one relationship.
  • When the remedy if the added term is broken has value: Where something is still owed after the date the addendum takes effect, that obligation needs its own words. Anything expected to survive the end of the agreement has to say so.

What to include in a smoke-free property addendum

This generator collects 18 details. Here is what each group covers and why it matters when the document is relied on.

Parties and contact details

Name the landlord and the tenant as legal entities rather than as the people you deal with day to day. The individual you email is rarely the party that can be enforced against.

Party A Name
The full legal name of the first party. Where a party is a company, name the entity rather than an individual employee.
Party A Address
The first party's address for service of notices under the agreement.
Party B Name
The full legal name of the second party bound by the agreement.
Party B Address
The second party's address for notices and correspondence.

Payment and financial terms

Write key figures out in full and name the currency. Where the price depends on a count of rule addeds, record that count as you go rather than reconstructing it at invoice time.

Monthly Rent
The rent amount due each period, the due date and the accepted payment methods. Ambiguity here is the single most common source of tenancy disputes.
Security Deposit
The deposit amount and the conditions for its return. Most states cap the deposit and impose a strict deadline for returning it with an itemised deduction statement.
Late Fee
The charge for overdue payment and the grace period before it applies. Keep the fee proportionate — a penalty that vastly exceeds actual loss is often unenforceable.

Dates, timing and duration

Diarise every date in this section on the day the document is signed — particularly any notice deadline, which works exactly once against the party who forgot it.

Effective Date
The date the agreement takes effect. This can differ from the signature date, and it is the date obligations start running from.
Lease Start Date
The first day of the tenancy, when possession passes and rent begins to accrue.
Lease End Date
The final day of the fixed term, and what happens afterwards — whether the lease ends, renews or rolls month to month.
Notice Period
How much warning a party must give before ending the agreement, and how notice must be delivered to count.

Property and premises

Identify the premises precisely, including anything shared or excluded. A boundary or access right assumed rather than written is the source of most property disputes.

Property Address
The full address of the property, including unit number, so the subject of the agreement is unambiguous.
Premises Description
What is included in the letting: rooms, parking, storage, garden and any shared areas.
Utilities Responsibility
Which utilities each party pays for, and how shared or unmetered supplies are apportioned.
Maintenance Responsibility
Who handles repairs and at what threshold. Landlords cannot usually contract out of statutory repairing obligations.
Pet Policy
Whether pets are permitted, any deposit or rent premium, and the rules. Assistance animals are generally protected regardless of a no-pets clause.
Rules and Regulations
House rules covering noise, guests, smoking, parking and shared spaces.

Legal protections and risk

Set a liability cap that reflects the real exposure rather than the fee, and carve out the things that should never be capped.

Governing State
The state whose law governs the agreement. Choose a state connected to the parties or the work, as a wholly unconnected choice may not be respected.

Completing this smoke-free property addendum

Keeping the version straight

Date the document and mark superseded drafts clearly. Two unlabelled versions in circulation is a surprisingly common cause of genuine, honest disagreement.

Attaching the lease the addendum attaches to

The lease the addendum attaches to carries most of the evidential weight here. Attach it as a schedule and refer to it by name in the body, rather than leaving it as an email nobody can find later.

Recording where this applies

If the parties are in different states, name which state's law applies and where any dispute would be heard. Adding one line now avoids a preliminary argument later.

Defining the date the addendum takes effect

Say what has to be true for the date the addendum takes effect to have happened and who confirms it. An undefined completion test is the reason obligations sit open long after the work is finished.

Dates that drive obligations

Use calendar dates rather than relative triggers such as "on approval", which cannot be measured. Dates determine when obligations start, when they end, and when someone is late.

Common mistakes to avoid

  1. Late payment with no consequence. If nothing happens when the tenant pays late, late payment becomes the norm. Interest on overdue sums plus a right for the landlord to suspend gives the clause teeth.
  2. Ignoring who owns the output. Say who ends up owning what is produced, and at what point ownership moves. Where nothing is written, ownership usually stays with whoever created it — rarely what the tenant assumes.
  3. Assuming insurance responds. Check that the policy actually covers this arrangement and this value. Cover assumed and never verified is the most expensive kind of assumption in the file.
  4. Verbal instructions on top of a written contract. Once instructions start being given by phone or in passing, the written agreement stops describing the arrangement. Confirm changes in writing the same day.
  5. Omitting required disclosures. Lead paint for pre-1978 buildings, plus state-specific disclosures on mould, flooding or pests, are mandatory and carry their own penalties.

How to use this smoke-free property addendum generator

  1. Fill in the form. Enter the 18 details requested. Where an entry depends on a count — rule addeds, dates, amounts — put the number in rather than a description of it. Nothing is sent to a server — the document is assembled in your browser.
  2. Read the preview. Scan the preview for anything left blank or approximate. Dates, amounts and the description of the added term are the entries that get tested.
  3. Download and sign. Take the PDF for signing or the Word version for further edits. Make sure the signed copy reaches everyone named, since a document held by only one side is hard to rely on.

Smoke-Free Property Addendum — frequently asked questions

Can a landlord charge extra for a pet?

Often yes — a pet deposit or additional monthly pet rent is permitted in many states, though some cap or prohibit it and total deposit limits still apply. The important exception is assistance and service animals: these are not pets under fair housing rules, and charging a pet fee for one is generally unlawful discrimination, as is refusing the accommodation outright.

What is the most important thing to get right in a smoke-free property addendum?

The description of the added term. Almost every later clause — price, timing, whether the date the addendum takes effect has been reached — refers back to it, so an imprecise description there weakens the whole document. State it in rule addeds and attach the lease the addendum attaches to rather than relying on a general description both sides read differently.

When is a smoke-free property addendum treated as complete?

At the date the addendum takes effect — but only if the document says what has to be true for that point to have been reached and who confirms it. Without a test, the landlord considers the obligation discharged while the tenant is still waiting, and neither reading is unreasonable on the wording.

Which state's law should govern this smoke-free property addendum?

Choose a state with a genuine connection to the parties or the subject matter — where a party is based, or where the work or property is located. A choice with no connection at all may not be respected, and for property or employment the local state's rules will often apply regardless of what the contract says.

When must the security deposit be returned?

Most states set a deadline of 14 to 30 days after the tenancy ends, along with a requirement to provide an itemised statement of any deductions. Missing that deadline can mean losing the right to deduct anything at all, and some states add a penalty on top. Document the property's condition at both move-in and move-out.

How much can the late fee be?

It should be a genuine estimate of the cost of late payment, not a punishment. Courts strike down fees that are disproportionate to actual loss, and several states cap late fees on rent specifically. A modest percentage after a stated grace period is the defensible approach.

How is notice properly given under this agreement?

Follow the notice clause exactly: use the stated method, send it to the address named in the agreement, and keep proof of delivery. Notice given informally — a text message, or an email to the wrong person — is frequently challenged, and a defective notice can leave the agreement running on.

What happens if the tenant leaves early?

The tenant generally remains liable for rent until the end of the term, but most jurisdictions require the landlord to make reasonable efforts to re-let rather than letting the property sit empty and billing the departing tenant.