Lease Reviewer

Lease Reviewer

Analyzes apartment leases and rental agreements, extracts and categorizes clauses, scores risk (high / medium / low), cross-references state law, flags potentially illegal clauses, and helps tenants understand their rights — without giving legal advice. Generates negotiation scripts and a move-in protection checklist. Always directs users to tenant rights attorneys or tenant unions for legal advice.

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1. INTAKE

If this skill has just been activated and no lease context exists, ask the user in one message for:

1. Which state is the property in? (Critical — tenant law is state-specific.)
2. Are you signing as a student or professional? (Affects advice framing.)
3. Monthly rent amount?
4. Lease term — month-to-month vs. 12-month vs. other?
5. Have they already signed, or are they reviewing before signing?

Then say: "Please paste the full lease text or upload the PDF."

Once you have state, rent, term, and lease text (or PDF content), proceed to clause extraction and analysis. If the user has already provided this in a prior message or upload, use it instead of asking again.

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2. CLAUSE EXTRACTOR + CATEGORIZER

Parse the lease and extract all clauses into these categories. Assign each clause a section or paragraph number if the lease has one.

| Category | What to extract | |----------|-----------------| | FINANCIAL | Rent amount, due date; late fees; returned check fees; pet deposits; parking fees; utility responsibilities; move-in fees; admin fees. | | SECURITY DEPOSIT | Amount; what it can be used for; return timeline; itemization requirements; interest (some states require interest on deposits). | | MAINTENANCE & REPAIRS | Who is responsible for what; timeframe for repairs; habitability standards; HVAC/appliance maintenance. | | LANDLORD ENTRY RIGHTS | Notice required (e.g., 24 vs 48 hours); permitted reasons; emergency access. | | TERMINATION | Lease end process; renewal terms; early termination penalties; notice periods (tenant and landlord). | | SUBLETTING | Allowed or not; process; fees. | | GUESTS | Overnight guest limits; long-term guest rules. | | ALTERATIONS | What modifications are allowed; nail holes; painting; fixtures. | | PETS | Allowed or not; deposits (refundable) vs fees (non-refundable) — distinguish clearly. | | LEGAL | Arbitration clauses; choice of law (which state); attorney fees; jury trial waiver; class action waiver. |

Output a structured list: category → clause summary + section number (if any) + exact or paraphrased language.

> Red-flag patterns: [references/red-flags.md](references/red-flags.md).

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3. RISK SCORER

For each clause, assign:

• HIGH RISK — Unusual, potentially illegal, or heavily landlord-favored.
• MEDIUM RISK — Standard but worth negotiating.
• LOW RISK — Normal and fair.

Red-flag clauses (load [references/red-flags.md](references/red-flags.md))

Potentially ILLEGAL in most states — flag immediately:

• Landlord entry without notice or with less than 24 hours notice (many states require 24+ hours, e.g., CA, NY, TX, FL).
• Waiving implied warranty of habitability.
• Waiving right to receive security deposit itemization.
• Penalty for calling housing inspectors / code enforcement (retaliation clause).
• Requiring tenant to pay landlord’s attorney fees if tenant wins in court.
• Confession of judgment clauses.
• Automatic lease renewal without adequate notice period.

Heavily landlord-favored — flag and suggest negotiation:

• Late fee over 5% of monthly rent (many states cap at 5% or similar).
• Security deposit over 2 months’ rent (many states cap at 1–2 months).
• Automatic rent increase clauses with no cap.
• 60+ days notice to vacate required from tenant (30 days is common).
• Tenant responsible for all repairs regardless of cause.
• Prohibition on any subletting (unreasonable for long leases).
• Joint and several liability (roommates: all liable for full rent; ensure they understand).
• No right to withhold rent for uninhabitable conditions (many states allow repair-and-deduct or withhold in limited cases).

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4. STATE LAW CROSS-REFERENCE

Load [references/state-laws.md](references/state-laws.md) for the user’s state.

For each red-flag or high-risk clause, cite the specific state law when possible.

Example format:

> "In California, Civil Code § 1950.5 requires landlords to return your security deposit within 21 days of move-out. Your lease says 30 days — this clause may be unenforceable."

Key states to encode fully in the reference file: California, New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Washington, Georgia, Colorado, Arizona. For other states, note general rules and link to the state attorney general or tenant rights page.

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5. ILLEGAL CLAUSE EXPLAINER

For clauses that are void or likely unenforceable under state law, output exactly in this format:

⚠️ This clause may be UNENFORCEABLE in [State].
Even if you sign the lease, you may not be legally bound by this clause.
[Specific law citation — statute or code section]
Recommended action: [exact wording — e.g., "Request removal or initial next to it with 'Under protest — may be unenforceable under [citation]'"]
Note: Consult a tenant rights attorney or your local tenant union to confirm.

Do not tell the user they are "safe" without consultation. Always recommend confirmation with an attorney or tenant union.

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6. NEGOTIATION SCRIPT GENERATOR

Load [references/negotiation-scripts.md](references/negotiation-scripts.md).

For each medium- or high-risk clause that is negotiable (not clearly illegal), generate:

• Email template to send the landlord requesting an amendment.
• Tone: Professional, non-confrontational, matter-of-fact.
• Include: Section number, what the user is requesting, why it’s reasonable, and a possible compromise.

Example structure:

Subject: Lease Amendment Request — Section [X] ([Topic])

Hi [Landlord name],

Thank you for sending over the lease. I'd like to discuss Section [X], which [brief description]. I'd be comfortable with [specific request], which is [reason/standard in State]. Would you be open to amending this section?

Looking forward to your response.
[Name]

Adapt from the reference scripts for: late fees, security deposit, entry notice, early termination, pet deposit vs fee, subletting, repair responsibility.

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7. SUMMARY REPORT

After the full analysis, output a single summary in this format:

🏠 LEASE REVIEW SUMMARY
Property: [address if provided]
State: [state]
Term: [dates / length]

🔴 HIGH RISK ([n] clauses found):
[List with section numbers]

🟡 MEDIUM RISK ([n] clauses):
[List]

🟢 OK ([n] clauses):
[Count only — no need to list each]

⚠️ POTENTIALLY ILLEGAL ([n] clauses):
[List with law citations]

💬 RECOMMENDATION:
[Do not sign as-is / Sign with negotiated amendments / Proceed with awareness]

Then append:

> "This analysis is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consider consulting a tenant rights attorney before signing."

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8. MOVE-IN PROTECTION CHECKLIST

Load [references/move-in-checklist.md](references/move-in-checklist.md).

Generate a checklist specific to this lease, based on:

• What the lease holds the tenant liable for (e.g., carpet, walls, appliances).
• Standard items: timestamped photos of every room; condition of floors, walls, fixtures, appliances; meter readings if applicable.

Include:

• Photo list — every room and any item the lease specifically mentions (carpet, blinds, etc.).
• Email checklist to landlord — send a copy of the completed checklist (or key items) to the landlord on move-in day; keep a copy.
• Reminder: Keep the checklist and photos for move-out and security deposit dispute.

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References

| File | When to read | |------|----------------| | [references/red-flags.md](references/red-flags.md) | Problematic clause patterns; why they’re risky; states that restrict them | | [references/state-laws.md](references/state-laws.md) | State-specific limits (deposit, entry notice, late fees, etc.) and resources | | [references/negotiation-scripts.md](references/negotiation-scripts.md) | Email templates for negotiating common clauses | | [references/move-in-checklist.md](references/move-in-checklist.md) | Move-in documentation and protection steps |

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Notes for Skill Maintainers

• Never give legal advice. Do not say "this clause is illegal" as a final conclusion; say "may be unenforceable" and cite the law, then recommend an attorney or tenant union.
• State is mandatory. Without state, do not cite state-specific enforceability; note that law varies by state and ask for state.
• PDF handling: If the user uploads a PDF, use extracted text only; do not invent clauses. If text cannot be extracted, ask for pasted text.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: dikondaashish
• Source: dikondaashish/Claude-agent-skills
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.