Residential lease agreement
Rent, deposit, utilities, pets and early exit, clear from day one.
About 15 minSigned by: landlord, tenant and, if any, guarantor
What it is for
This is the contract between the person renting a house or apartment to live in and the person renting it out. In Quintana Roo the law requires it to be in writing; without paper, neither side can prove the rent, the term or the deposit.
This template follows the Quintana Roo Civil Code and makes you decide, with a neutral explanation, what the law leaves to the parties: when the deposit is returned, who pays the electricity, whether pets are allowed, what happens if the tenant leaves early.
What it covers
- Parties, property, term and dates
- Rent, currency, payment day, grace period and late interest
- Deposit: amount, permitted deductions and return deadline
- Utilities (electricity, water, gas, internet) and air-conditioning servicing
- Permitted use, occupants, pets and subletting
- Inventory as an annex, repairs and landlord visits
- Early exit, renewal and extension
- Guarantor or póliza jurídica, if any
- Hurricanes and other force majeure, competent courts
Common mistakes
- Not writing when and how the deposit is returned: Quintana Roo law does not set it, so if the contract is silent the argument begins.
- Handing over keys without an inventory: without a signed description, the law presumes the tenant received everything in good condition.
- Setting the rent in dollars without saying how it converts: the tenant may always pay in pesos at the day's exchange rate.
- Using a housing lease for nightly or weekly stays: that is lodging, with different rules and taxes.
- Forgetting that a guarantee ends with the original term unless the contract says otherwise.
A template, not legal advice
Frequently asked questions
Does a lease have to be in writing?
Yes. The Quintana Roo Civil Code provides that a lease must be made in writing (art. 2682). A verbal agreement leaves both sides without proof of what was agreed.
How much deposit can be asked and when is it returned?
Quintana Roo law sets neither the amount nor the deadline: the contract decides. One month's rent is usual. This template asks you to write the return deadline and limits deductions to rent, utilities and damage beyond normal wear, with receipts.
Can the rent be set in US dollars?
Yes, but the tenant may always pay the equivalent in pesos at the exchange rate of the payment date (article 8 of the Monetary Law). The contract says so expressly, so there are no surprises.
Is there a minimum or maximum term?
Quintana Roo has no minimum term for housing; the maximum is 10 years. In addition, a tenant who is up to date may ask for an extension of up to one year when the contract expires (art. 2738).
Is a guarantor or póliza jurídica mandatory?
No. They are optional guarantees. The template includes both and explains what changes with each option, for example whether the guarantor waives the right to have the tenant pursued first.
Is signing it electronically valid?
The signature we offer is a simple electronic signature with an audit trail. It is valid between parties who accept it, but it is not an advanced signature and carries no NOM-151 certificate. For a lease, the safest course is to sign on paper as well; the contract itself gives either party the right to ask for it.
Does it work for vacation rentals?
No. Short stays in furnished properties are lodging: they carry lodging tax, a state registry and other rules. This template is for housing.
What kind of signature this is
- It is a simple electronic signature with an audit trail: each party opens their personal link, reads the document, types their full name and expressly accepts. We record the date, time, IP address, browser and the SHA-256 fingerprint of the text, which is frozen from the moment it is sent.
- In general terms, Mexican commercial and civil law recognizes electronic signatures between parties who consent to use them, and a judge weighs their strength according to the reliability of the method.
- It is not an advanced electronic signature (such as the SAT's e.firma) and does not include a NOM-151 conservation certificate issued by a certification service provider.
- If you need that level of proof, the next step is integration with a certified provider; in the meantime you can print the document and sign it on paper as well.
Laws it relies on
- Código Civil para el Estado de Quintana Roo: arts. 2676 a 2745 (arrendamiento), 2958 y 2974 a 2977 (fianza), 285 a 291 (pena convencional), 2659 (interés legal) y 3199 fr. III (registro)
- Ley Monetaria de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, art. 8 (obligaciones en moneda extranjera)
- Ley de Propiedad en Condominio de Inmuebles del Estado de Quintana Roo, art. 19
- Código Nacional de Procedimientos Civiles y Familiares: arts. 2 fr. XXI, 348 y 349 (firma y prueba electrónicas) y 520 a 529 (juicio de arrendamiento)
- Ley del Impuesto al Valor Agregado, art. 20 fr. II; Ley del Impuesto sobre la Renta, art. 118 fr. III
We cite the articles so anyone can check them. Laws change: confirm they are still in force if your case is delicate.