Indiana Lease Agreement Checklist for Landlords

A useful Indiana lease should explain the money, the home, the parties’ duties, and the steps for handling problems. It also needs the disclosures and protections that apply to the property. A signed template cannot waive Indiana’s landlord-obligation chapter or replace local registration and building compliance. Start with the current Indiana landlord-tenant statutes and the actual rental arrangement.

This checklist is designed for an ordinary long-term residential rental. It helps an owner assemble information for a lawyer, review a management company’s lease, and organize move-in. It is not a universal form for transient lodging, commercial space, or every assisted housing program.

Sources were checked October 19, 2026. Have an Indiana landlord-tenant attorney review the completed agreement and its attachments. Focus that review on the property and business practices you actually use, including payment portals, contractors, and local management arrangements.

Start with a property and tenancy worksheet

Before editing the lease, establish the facts. Confirm the legal owner, signing authority, complete rental address, and authorized residential use. Identify whether the agreement covers a whole house, one apartment, or a different arrangement.

Record the spaces included with the home. A parking pad, garage, storage room, basement, or yard should not depend on an informal promise. State whether each space is exclusive, shared, excluded, or governed by an attachment.

Item to establish	What to put in the review file
Owner and signer	Legal owner name and authority to sign
Tenants and occupants	Correct names and their roles under the agreement
Premises	Address, unit, included spaces, and parking
Rental arrangement	Term, intended use, and any assistance program
Property condition	Inspection, permits, open repairs, and equipment list
Local jurisdiction	Actual municipality and applicable registration office
Payment structure	Rent, deposit, other charges, and utility allocation

Do not treat a postal city name as proof of municipal jurisdiction. The department responsible for the address may differ from the name used in mailing. Verify the parcel and local program before creating a compliance calendar.

For a newly purchased rental, compare this worksheet against the seller’s records. The Northwest Indiana investor guide provides acquisition context. Existing leases and tenant funds need a separate, documented handoff.

Identify the owner, manager, and Indiana agent

Indiana requires more than a generic customer-service email. Section 32-31-3-18 requires written names and addresses at or before commencement of the rental agreement.

The disclosure identifies an Indiana resident authorized to manage the dwelling. It also identifies an Indiana resident reasonably accessible to act for the owner for service of process and receipt of notices and demands. One person may serve both roles.

An out-of-state owner should resolve this arrangement before sending a lease for signature. Confirm that the named person understands and accepts the role. A mailing address copied from an old management agreement may no longer identify someone authorized to act.

Add ordinary operating contacts as well. Give the tenant a maintenance channel, emergency contact, and payment contact. Explain which channel to use after hours. Keep those instructions consistent with the legal notices provision rather than presenting conflicting addresses.

When management changes, update the records and resident instructions promptly. The statute makes the disclosure requirement enforceable against successor landlords, owners, and managers. A new management logo does not erase earlier obligations.

State the term and renewal process clearly

Identify the start date, end date, and time when possession is scheduled to begin. Explain any renewal process, holdover treatment, and required communications. Review those provisions against applicable law before relying on them.

A fixed term and a month-to-month arrangement have different operating consequences. Do not use both descriptions without explaining how the tenancy changes after the initial term. The resident should understand whether a new agreement is expected or a continuing arrangement is contemplated.

Address delayed delivery carefully. If renovation work is unfinished, identify the actual readiness problem before promising occupancy. A lease should not be used to conceal missing approvals or essential repairs.

For example, a hypothetical Indianapolis duplex has a planned November 1 move-in. The downstairs furnace still needs repair. The owner should resolve habitability and scheduling before representing that the unit is ready. A broad “tenant accepts as-is” sentence does not replace the landlord’s duties.

The Indianapolis BRRRR guide helps connect the renovation schedule with the rental plan. Leave room for inspection, final work, cleaning, and a documented handoff before the first occupied day.

Make the payment schedule readable

State monthly rent, the due date, payment methods, payee, and where payment is received. Explain any grace period and separately identify fees. The agreement should match how the payment portal actually works.

Avoid combining rent, utilities, deposit money, and optional services into one unexplained number. A clear schedule helps both collection and later accounting. It also makes mistakes easier to spot when a tenant receives an incorrect bill.

Hypothetical move-in schedule

Assume an owner and tenant agree to the following amounts for a conventional rental:

Item	Amount	Treatment
First full month’s rent	$1,300	Payment for the stated rental period
Security deposit	$1,300	Held subject to Indiana deposit rules
Total due under this example	$2,600	Two separate ledger categories
Electricity	Tenant account	Service responsibility described separately
Water and sewer	Owner account	Included in this example’s rent

These figures illustrate organization, not recommended pricing. If the tenancy starts midmonth, explain any proration method and the next full payment. Do not leave the resident to calculate an amount that your system will later reject.

Property taxes and operating costs belong in the owner’s budget. The Marion County property tax guide can support that planning. A higher tax bill does not by itself rewrite rent during an existing lease term.

Give the security deposit its own provisions

State the amount, purpose, and accounting process clearly. Indiana’s definition can include money held to secure obligations and certain prepaid rent, regardless of the chosen label. Review Section 32-31-3-9.

Explain how the tenant supplies a mailing address when leaving. Keep the lease consistent with the statutory return process and lawful deductions. Do not promise that every deposit is automatically forfeited for early departure or a missed cleaning task.

The Indiana security deposit guide covers the 45-day provisions and records in detail. Incorporate that workflow into management operations, then ensure the agreement does not contradict it.

A deposit is not automatically the last month’s rent. If the parties intend that treatment, have the written arrangement reviewed. Indiana specifically addresses use for the last rental payment when a written agreement provides for it. See Section 32-31-3-13.

Allocate utilities and ordinary upkeep precisely

List each service separately: electricity, gas, water, sewer, trash, internet, and any shared service. Identify who opens the account, who pays, and whether the amount is included in rent. If billing is allocated, explain the actual method and have it reviewed.

Avoid vague language saying “tenant pays all utilities” when the building has a shared meter or one service remains in the owner’s name. The billing process should be workable for the physical property.

Describe routine tasks such as trash placement, lawn care, snow handling, and filter replacement. Identify equipment or materials supplied by the owner. Do not promise a service in an advertisement and then quietly omit it from the lease package.

For example, a Hammond two-unit building shares one water account. The owner should document the intended billing arrangement before leasing either unit. A tenant should not discover a new allocation formula after the first bill arrives.

Keep cost allocation separate from the duty to maintain safe systems. Who pays a gas bill and who must repair a defective furnace are different questions. The lease needs to make both understandable.

Preserve landlord duties and practical repair reporting

Section 32-31-8-5 requires safe, clean, habitable delivery and compliance with applicable health and housing codes. It also addresses common areas and maintenance of specified systems and supplied appliances. The heating system must adequately supply heat at all times.

Section 32-31-8-4 makes a waiver of that chapter void. Avoid language shifting every repair to the tenant or suggesting the owner can ignore broken supplied equipment. A contractor warranty does not replace the landlord’s responsibility to respond.

The tenant has duties too. Indiana requires reasonable cleanliness, reasonable use of systems, and refraining from damage. Section 32-31-7-5 also addresses smoke detector responsibilities. Describe these duties without presenting them as a waiver of the owner’s obligations.

Give tenants a simple reporting process. Request the unit, problem, when it began, photographs if useful, and contact information. Explain when an urgent call is appropriate. Do not make a portal login the only practical route for reporting a serious after-hours problem.

Track acknowledgement, appointment, work completed, and any follow-up. The Indianapolis rehab cost guide can help organize owner repair reserves. The lease should describe the response process, not promise unsupported contractor arrival times.

Write an entry clause that matches Indiana law

Indiana’s general entry provision calls for reasonable written or oral notice and entry at reasonable times. It prohibits abuse of access and harassment. It also identifies emergency and other exceptions. See Section 32-31-5-6.

That provision does not establish a universal 24-hour number. If your lease promises a specific advance-notice period, staff should follow that commitment subject to lawful exceptions. Do not describe a preferred company policy as the statewide statutory minimum.

Explain ordinary entry purposes, including inspections, necessary work, and showings. Establish a method for scheduling and recording notice. Give contractors the approved appointment information instead of assuming they can enter whenever convenient.

For a hypothetical annual inspection, send a clear notice identifying the purpose, date, expected time window, and contact method. Keep a copy and record any agreed rescheduling. An emergency response requires its own factual record rather than a fabricated advance notice.

Assemble the required disclosure package

Some disclosures depend on the property. Use a checklist with an applicability decision for each item instead of attaching every form without review.

Disclosure or acknowledgement	Applicability check
Indiana manager and agent information	Written information required under Section 3-18
Functional smoke detector acknowledgement	Obtain when the rental unit is delivered under Section 5-7
Lead information	Check federal coverage for most pre-1978 housing
Floodplain disclosure	Check the statutory elevation and mapping conditions
Military-installation disclosure	Determine whether the property falls within the defined state area of interest
Housing-program documents	Check the actual assistance program and authority

Lead information before signing

For most covered housing built before 1978, federal rules require the lead pamphlet, known hazard information, available records, and the required warning and acknowledgements. Deliver the required material before signing. Exceptions exist, so document the coverage decision. The EPA disclosure guidance also requires retaining signed disclosures for three years after the lease begins.

Do not confuse this disclosure package with inspection or renovation requirements. A disclosure does not make peeling paint safe. Keep the property condition and any repair work under separate review.

Smoke detector acknowledgement at delivery

Section 32-31-5-7 requires the landlord to obtain written acknowledgement that the unit has a functional smoke detector when delivered. Test and document the equipment as part of move-in. A signed page should record a real condition, not substitute for checking it.

Floodplain and military-location review

Under Section 32-31-1-21, disclosure is required when the structure’s lowest floor, including a basement, is at or below the 100-year flood elevation. The statute identifies determinations by Indiana DNR, FEMA flood insurance maps, or FEMA-approved local floodplain maps. Verify the property rather than assuming every home in a flood-prone neighborhood meets the test.

Section 32-31-1-21.1 addresses covered property near a military installation within a defined state area of interest. Check applicability and the required lease language when that geography is relevant.

Keep fair housing and screening outside arbitrary lease terms

Rental terms should follow consistent, lawful criteria. The Indiana Civil Rights Commission explains that housing discrimination can involve rental terms and services as well as the initial approval decision. Review rules affecting families, disability accommodations, and other protected characteristics.

An assistance animal request should not be processed automatically as an ordinary pet purchase. Give staff a route for accommodation review. Avoid requiring sensitive medical details in the general lease file when they are unnecessary to administer the tenancy.

If a consumer report leads to a denial, higher deposit, required cosigner, or other adverse action, federal notice duties may apply. They can apply even when the report is only part of the reason. Follow the FTC landlord guidance, and keep screening records secure.

A lease checklist should confirm that screening is complete before sending final terms. It should not contain improvised criteria created after reviewing a particular applicant.

Verify local registration separately from the lease

Indiana does not have one identical municipal rental program. Check the governing authority for the actual address and use. Save the current registration, inspection correspondence, and renewal dates in the property file.

The Indianapolis landlord registration program is a local program with its own jurisdictional boundaries. Confirm coverage, including the treatment of excluded cities. Do not assume every Marion County mailing address follows the same process.

Hammond’s rental registration page describes annual registration and ownership-change requirements. Those local instructions should not be copied into an article as a universal Indiana deadline. Verify the current requirements with the responsible department.

Short-term use deserves separate review. The Indianapolis short-term rental permit guide addresses a different operating model. A long-term residential lease does not establish that vacation-rental use is permitted.

Coordinate voucher leases with the housing authority

For a voucher tenancy, review the authority’s required lease materials and assistance contract. Confirm approved rent, household payment allocation, required inspections, and the process for changes. Do not promise that an advertised payment standard guarantees the proposed rent.

The Indianapolis Housing Agency’s landlord FAQs explain the owner’s responsibilities and program process. Keep the authority’s documents consistent with the private lease. Use the agency administering the actual tenancy, especially when operating across multiple Indiana markets.

The Indianapolis Section 8 acquisition guide is useful when buying an occupied voucher property. Verify the current paperwork before assuming the seller’s rent schedule or lease package is complete.

Review default, move-out, and the final signing packet

Have counsel review nonpayment, breach, renewal, and termination language. Indiana’s general nonpayment rule has agreement and payment exceptions, and federal requirements may affect the process. The Indiana 10-day notice guide explains the distinctions. Avoid a clause promising automatic removal without court authority.

Explain move-out coordination, key return, condition documentation, and the written mailing address for deposit accounting. Keep ordinary wear separate from tenant-caused damage. Do not use a standard cleaning schedule as automatic approval of every deduction.

Before releasing keys, complete a final review:

1. Confirm names, address, dates, and all monetary amounts.
2. Resolve conflicts between the lease and attachments.
3. Deliver applicable disclosures at the required time.
4. Obtain signatures and give each party the completed package.
5. Reconcile collected funds against the payment schedule.
6. Complete the condition report and equipment checks.
7. Record keys, access devices, and emergency instructions delivered.
8. Calendar rent, inspections, registration, and renewal tasks.

Store one final signed version and preserve later amendments separately. Give the manager a practical summary of deadlines and operating commitments. Use the Indiana landlord-tenant law overview for broader context as the tenancy develops.

The finished lease should be something both sides can use. Clear terms, accurate disclosures, and a documented move-in turn the agreement into a working record of the home and its responsibilities.