How to Request a Change in a Lease Agreement

A lease is a legally binding contract between a landlord and a tenant. It may be a month-to-month lease, a year lease or longer, depending on the situation. No terms specified in the lease may be broken. Fortunately, you can request a change in those terms if you need to. You may want permission for your sister to move in and have her name on the lease, for example. Or perhaps you want permission to get a dog. Once you make the request, it is up to your landlord to decide whether or not to allow the change.

Draw up a written request of the change. You may want to do this on a computer, but it is acceptable to do it by hand. Make sure you list the change you are seeking in detail so that the landlord knows exactly what you want. Cite any paragraphs in the current lease that pertain to your request. Be polite when you draw up the request. If the landlord feels like you are attacking him, he will be less likely agree to changes.

Sign and date the request of change form. Print out a copy for your own records. If you wrote the request by hand, make a copy of it at your local library or other copier location before mailing it.

Mail the form to your landlord as a certified letter. This will give you proof that the landlord received it.

Give your landlord two weeks to respond to your request before contacting him further. After two weeks, call and ask if she has had time to consider your request. If she says she will approve the change, request the approval in writing.