Did I hear correctly that everything should be in the lease and to NOT use addendums?

Bobby,

That was me. I have sat in coirt and watched addendums throw out by the judge.

If it’s important just put it in the lease.

My lease is 31pages because EVERYTHING is covered with clauses and EVERY form is part of the lease in one staple - Emergency Contacts, mold, bedbugs, condition / move in inspection report, animals, repair cost list...ANYTHING I want to protect me and my property and I want the judge to see in in that one staple. When I hand a copy to tje judge with the res’ signature on each page the entire package is now evidence.

Be prepared!

With the advent of a PDF program I can add clauses to any standard lease. One of the most important additions to my lease I leaned at a seminar from MR. Landlord himself. About tenants giving the landlord written notice about repairs.

Everything *is* in my lease. My multiple addendums only expand and reiterate and explain in detail what is meant by the lease legalese.

So I have a utilities addendum and an appliance and incidentals addendum and a cleaning checklist addendum and an Animal Agreement addendum, etc. The lease pages get initialed and lease is signed on last page. Each addendum gets a signature and page numbering makes it clear they are part and parcel of the original lease.

While I agree a judge can do whatever they want for any reason, technically they should follow the law. A lease is a written contract which legally can be altered in written form by referencing the original contract and bearing the signatures of both parties. Personally, I think a judge that ignores a properly prepared and executed addendum has a bias and would find another reason to rule against you even if you addendum was integrated into the original lease.

Blondie,

My judge commented in open court (so I can quote him!) "I wish other LLs would put all this stuff in their leases. It would make MY job so much easier."

To be clear, according to my atty, my judge, and observations during LL/T cases in court, an ADDENDUM is a specific thing that must be properly written and executed. Many fail the test of being legal.

It is NOT a lease. LOGIC does not make it legal.

If it's important, just drop the title ADDENDUM and staple it into the lease with the res' initials on each page. Never understood why a LL lease with additional papers.

BRAD

Well, my addenda are

The Federal Lead Form

The State of Maine Lead Form (because apparently the federal one isn’t good enough. It says the same thing, but slightly differently.)

The Maine Energy Efficiency Form

The Maine Radon Testing Form and Report

Unit Inspection Report (backed up by photos)

I like having their signatures multiple times, instead of just their initials with one signature.