How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in New York?

No more than one month's rent. The cap comes from N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law 7-108, and the lease repeats it in the deposit clause.

How much notice does a New York landlord give before entering?

New York statute sets no notice period before the landlord enters, so this lease uses at least 24 hours' notice at a reasonable time, and no notice in an emergency.

What does a New York landlord have to disclose with the lease?

Beyond the federal lead paint disclosure for a building built before 1978, the New York checklist has six items: bank name and address and amount of the security deposit; whether the Premises has a working sprinkler system, in bold; and flood history and flood zone status, with the renter's insurance notice. The other three are on the checklist in the document. Each one names its statute and the landlord initials it in the document.

Which New York statutes does this lease cite?

N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law 7-108, N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law 7-103, N.Y. Real Prop. Law 232-b and N.Y. Real Prop. Law 235-b, read on October 23, 2026. They print in the document footer so a reader can check each clause against the statute in a minute.

Should a lawyer look at this New York lease before I use it?

It is a general form, not legal advice, and it does not claim to comply with any law. The clauses state what the New York statute requires and name the statute. A lawyer who works with New York landlords can tell you whether the form fits your property, your city and the terms you want to add, which is worth the hour before signing a lease for a large rent or a long term.

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New York Residential Lease Agreement

A plain-language lease for a house or apartment in New York. The deposit, notice and disclosure clauses follow New York statute, cited in the document. Download the blank PDF or e-sign it online; electronic signatures are recognized under the federal ESIGN Act and state UETA laws.

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Page one of the New York Residential Lease Agreement — Page 1 of the PDF. Tinted boxes are the placed fields, one color per role.

New York rules in this lease

Security deposit cap: No more than one month's rent
Deposit return: Within 14 days after the Tenant moves out, the Landlord returns the deposit with an itemized statement of any deductions for unpaid rent and damage beyond ordinary wear.
Where the deposit is kept: A Landlord of a building with six or more units keeps the deposit in an interest-bearing account at a New York bank and pays the Tenant the interest less a 1% administrative fee. Every Landlord tells the Tenant in writing the bank's name and address and the amount.
Ending a month-to-month tenancy: The Landlord ends a month-to-month tenancy with written notice of 30 days when the Tenant has lived in the Premises under a year, 60 days for one to two years, and 90 days for more than two years. The Tenant gives at least 30 days' written notice.
Landlord entry: No notice period in the statute; the lease uses 24 hours
Disclosures: 7 items, listed below with the section that requires each one
Local rules: New York City adds bed bug history, window guard and rent stabilization notices. Check the city rules before signing.
Statutes: N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law 7-108, N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law 7-103, N.Y. Real Prop. Law 232-b, N.Y. Real Prop. Law 235-b. Read the New York statute
Rules read on: 2026-10-23

A general form, not legal advice, and not a claim that it complies with any law. Rules change and vary by city. Check the statute cited here, or ask a lawyer, before you rely on it.

What is different in New York

Pick New York and three parts of this lease change: the security deposit clause, the notice clause for a month-to-month tenancy and the disclosures checklist, each rewritten from the New York statute. The rest of the document reads the same in every state.

Start with the deposit. New York caps it at one month's rent, and the statute also says where the money sits while the tenant lives there. The return rule, quoted in full below, says when and how the deposit comes back, and requires an itemized statement of anything kept and leaves ordinary wear out of the deductions.

Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy is not symmetrical in New York; the two sides give different notice. The Landlord ends a month-to-month tenancy with written notice of 30 days when the Tenant has lived in the Premises under a year, 60 days for one to two years, and 90 days for more than two years. That is the short half; the full rule, with every period and condition, is quoted in the questions below.

On entry the New York statute is silent, so the lease fills the gap with at least 24 hours' notice at a reasonable time and no notice in an emergency, and the footer says the statute set no period.

The disclosures checklist carries six New York items on top of the federal lead paint notice, among them Good Cause Eviction Law notice, where it applies, each with the section that requires it and a line for the landlord's initials.

City rules are the other thing to watch. New York City adds bed bug history, window guard and rent stabilization notices. Check the city rules before signing. The state clauses follow four sections of New York law, read on October 23, 2026 and listed in the Statutes row above; the same citations print in the footer of the PDF.

Read the New York clauses

The wording below is what prints in the PDF for New York, word for word, under the headings Security deposit, Entry, Ending the lease and default, and Disclosures.

Security deposit

Within 14 days after the Tenant moves out, the Landlord returns the deposit with an itemized statement of any deductions for unpaid rent and damage beyond ordinary wear. The deposit may not exceed one month's rent. A Landlord of a building with six or more units keeps the deposit in an interest-bearing account at a New York bank and pays the Tenant the interest less a 1% administrative fee. Every Landlord tells the Tenant in writing the bank's name and address and the amount.

Entry

The Landlord may enter at reasonable times to inspect, repair or show the Premises after at least 24 hours' notice, and without notice in an emergency.

Ending the lease and default

The Landlord ends a month-to-month tenancy with written notice of 30 days when the Tenant has lived in the Premises under a year, 60 days for one to two years, and 90 days for more than two years. The Tenant gives at least 30 days' written notice. If rent is unpaid or a term is broken, the Landlord gives the written notice New York law requires before ending the tenancy, and the Tenant is responsible for rent through the end of the term unless the Premises is re-rented sooner.

Disclosures the Landlord initials

Lead-based paint and hazards, for a building built before 1978, with the EPA pamphlet (42 U.S.C. 4852d)
Bank name and address and amount of the security deposit (Gen. Oblig. Law 7-103)
Whether the Premises has a working sprinkler system, in bold (Real Prop. Law 231-a)
Flood history and flood zone status, with the renter's insurance notice (Real Prop. Law 231-b)
Good Cause Eviction Law notice, where it applies (Real Prop. Law 231-c)
Certificate of occupancy, for a building with three or fewer units (Real Prop. Law 235-bb)
Notice of the right to request reasonable accommodations for a disability (Exec. Law 170-d)

New York City adds bed bug history, window guard and rent stabilization notices. Check the city rules before signing.

Footer of the PDF: New York clauses follow N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law 7-108, N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law 7-103, N.Y. Real Prop. Law 232-b, N.Y. Real Prop. Law 235-b as read on 2026-10-23.

New York lease questions

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in New York?: No more than one month's rent. The cap comes from N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law 7-108, and the lease repeats it in the deposit clause.
When does the security deposit come back in New York?: Within 14 days after the Tenant moves out, the Landlord returns the deposit with an itemized statement of any deductions for unpaid rent and damage beyond ordinary wear.
Where does a New York landlord keep the deposit?: A Landlord of a building with six or more units keeps the deposit in an interest-bearing account at a New York bank and pays the Tenant the interest less a 1% administrative fee. Every Landlord tells the Tenant in writing the bank's name and address and the amount.
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in New York?: The Landlord ends a month-to-month tenancy with written notice of 30 days when the Tenant has lived in the Premises under a year, 60 days for one to two years, and 90 days for more than two years. The Tenant gives at least 30 days' written notice.
How much notice does a New York landlord give before entering?: New York statute sets no notice period before the landlord enters, so this lease uses at least 24 hours' notice at a reasonable time, and no notice in an emergency.
What does a New York landlord have to disclose with the lease?: Beyond the federal lead paint disclosure for a building built before 1978, the New York checklist has six items: bank name and address and amount of the security deposit; whether the Premises has a working sprinkler system, in bold; and flood history and flood zone status, with the renter's insurance notice. The other three are on the checklist in the document. Each one names its statute and the landlord initials it in the document.
Do any New York cities or counties add rules of their own?: New York City adds bed bug history, window guard and rent stabilization notices. Check the city rules before signing.
Which New York statutes does this lease cite?: N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law 7-108, N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law 7-103, N.Y. Real Prop. Law 232-b and N.Y. Real Prop. Law 235-b, read on October 23, 2026. They print in the document footer so a reader can check each clause against the statute in a minute.
Should a lawyer look at this New York lease before I use it?: It is a general form, not legal advice, and it does not claim to comply with any law. The clauses state what the New York statute requires and name the statute. A lawyer who works with New York landlords can tell you whether the form fits your property, your city and the terms you want to add, which is worth the hour before signing a lease for a large rent or a long term.

Who this is for. A New York lease is one half of a landlord's paperwork; proving a notice was received is the other. Both are covered at free e-signatures for landlords.

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