Small Portfolio Desk

1–20 unit landlords

Lease & e-sign on DIY landlord software — state forms, wet vs e-sign

Search intent: get a compliant lease drafted (or uploaded), signed by landlord + tenants without a notary meetup, and stored with a trail you can find at renewal or dispute time. Updated: Sep 2026 from vendor help centers and pricing pages — re-check plan gates and e-sign UX before you promise remote signing.

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For a 1–20 unit DIY landlord, “leases in the software” is not one feature — it is four jobs: where the form comes from (built-in state template vs your attorney PDF), how it gets signed (wet ink vs e-sign), who can sign (landlord + one or more tenants / guarantors), and what paid plans unlock. Avail puts state leases + e-sign on free Unlimited (customization/cloning is Plus). TurboTenant builds deep state leases but gates unlimited e-sign behind Essentials/Pro. RentRedi is upload-your-own + ID-verified e-sign on Grow/Pro — it points you to external state forms rather than shipping a full in-app lease builder.

What this page is (and is not)

Feature snapshot (verify on vendor pages)

Capability RentRedi TurboTenant Avail
State / custom lease forms No full in-app state lease builder; help links to external state lease resources (historically ~$9.99/form — confirm current price). Upload your own PDF. Yes — state-specific (and some county) lease builder drafted with landlord/law-firm input; Additional Provisions for overrides Yes — state-specific lawyer-reviewed templates + Local Assist™ for local disclosures (radon, mold, lead, etc.)
Templates vs upload-your-own Upload-first: Signature Request or Other Documents on the tenant Documents tab Both: build TT state lease or upload PDF/Word/image for e-sign; Pro adds reusable E-Signature Templates Both: draft from Avail template or upload lease + addenda; Plus unlocks deeper customize / clone of templates
E-sign (who signs) Tenants (one or multiple / guarantors) sign first with ID selfie; landlord verifies IDs then countersigns Tenants + additional signers (co-owner, guarantor); landlord typically signs last; drag-drop signature / initials / date fields Landlord + tenants via in-platform send; upload path opens Dropbox Sign editor to place fields per signer
Wet-ink / paper path Yes — upload already-signed static PDF as Other Documents (flatten fillable forms first); AI lease extract accepts scans as PDF Yes — upload a fully signed document to the Lease Profile without e-sign if you only need storage/share Yes — print/PDF generation on Leasing feature list; wet-ink copies can be scanned back into the lease record (confirm UI label in account)
Addenda Send separately as additional Signature Requests (one document at a time per help docs) Built-in lease addendum builder + e-sign path; also upload custom addenda Upload addenda with the lease for e-sign; Plus customization covers extra clauses/rules
Storage / audit trail Signed leases stay on the unit as a permanent record (help: signed leases cannot be deleted). Trail includes T&C accept, digital signature, selfie+ID, timestamps + IP Completed copies emailed to parties and stored on the Lease Profile; timeline / activity on the profile for signature progress Dropbox Sign finalizes with timestamps; parties get completed email copies; Avail stores the lease and can continue into rent/payment setup
DocuSign / HelloSign / Dropbox Sign Native RentRedi signing (marketing: no separate DocuSign/HelloSign needed). No published first-party DocuSign integration found Native TT e-sign. No published DocuSign/HelloSign requirement Dropbox Sign (HelloSign successor) powers the upload e-sign editor inside Avail — included with Avail; not a separate Dropbox Sign bill for the landlord under published Avail docs
Free vs paid gap Signature Request on Grow and Pro; Starter shows Grow badge / upgrade prompt. Subscription includes unlimited signature requests once unlocked (per product blog/help) State leases + unlimited e-sign on Essentials / Pro (Premium). Free: you can preview/build but help says Premium is required to send for signature. E-Signature Templates = Pro only State leases + digital signatures on free Unlimited. Plus (~$9/unit/mo): customize clauses/rules, clone/reuse lease templates — e-sign itself is not the Plus gate

Sources (Sep 2026): RentRedi help — How Lease Signing Works, Send Lease to Tenant for E-Signing, Send to Multiple Tenants, State-Specific Leases and Laws (Resources), Upload a Document for a Tenant / to a Unit, Fixing a Fillable PDF. TurboTenant help — How Does E-Sign Work?, State-Specific Lease Agreements, Free vs Essentials vs Pro plan article; turbotenant.com/esign and pricing. Avail — avail.com/pricing Leasing list, landlords/rental-lease-agreement, support “How To Add E-Signatures To An Existing Lease” (Dropbox Sign editor). Re-verify plan badges in a live trial before you tell a tenant “sign in the app tonight.”

Worked example: one SFH lease cycle

Portfolio: one Colorado Springs SFH (example only — not legal advice). Approved applicants ready. Goal: draft → send → e-sign → store in under a day without a wet-ink meetup.

Step RentRedi TurboTenant Avail
1. Draft Use attorney / purchased state PDF (or existing form). Flatten fillable fields. Optional: AI extract from lease to seed property/tenant fields Lease Profile → Get a (State) Lease Agreement → fill builder + Additional Provisions (pets, late fee matching your policy) Create lease from state template; Local Assist adds disclosures. Or upload your attorney PDF
2. Send for e-sign Tenant → Documents → Upload File → Signature Request; select all adult tenants Finalize & E-Sign (TT lease) or Docs & E-Sign → upload; place fields; send. Requires Premium Send built-in lease digitally, or Request E-Signatures → Dropbox Sign field placement on upload
3. Tenants sign One-click / checkbox style accept + government ID selfie; all requested tenants must finish before landlord countersign Mobile/desktop review; sign assigned fields; reminders available per marketing Email link from Avail/Dropbox Sign; draw or adopt e-signature on required fields
4. Landlord finalize Verify each ID/selfie; add landlord signature; e-signatures generate Sign last; completed PDF emailed + stored on Lease Profile Complete remaining fields; Dropbox Sign timestamps final PDF; Avail stores copy
5. Store & handoff Signed lease permanent on unit; share/view as needed; set rent / autopay next Keep Lease Profile as source of truth; manually update profile if a later addendum changes rent/end date Download completed copy; continue into Payments setup in Avail flow
Wet-ink alternate Print outside RR → scan to static PDF → Other Documents upload Sign on paper → Upload Document on Lease Profile (no Premium required for storage-only) Print/PDF from Avail → wet sign → scan back into lease docs

At 1–3 doors, the bottleneck is usually having a good form, not the click-to-sign UI. Avail and TurboTenant win if you want the form inside the product; RentRedi wins if your attorney already owns the PDF and you care about ID-photo verification on every signer.

Free vs paid: what you are actually buying

Stack with per-unit vs flat-rate break-even and tenant payment fees: lease tools are often “free enough,” then ACH waive / FastPay becomes the real Plus/Pro math.

Wet ink vs e-sign — when each still wins

Setup checklist (45 minutes)

  1. Decide form source: vendor state template vs attorney PDF. If attorney PDF, flatten fillable fields before upload.
  2. Confirm your plan actually includes e-sign (RR Grow/Pro; TT Essentials/Pro; Avail Unlimited OK).
  3. Run a dry-run with a test signer (yourself on a second email) and place every initials/date field you care about.
  4. Align late-fee / pet / entry language with what you will enforce in software (see late fees & autopay).
  5. For multi-tenant units, list every adult who must sign before you send — RR waits for all tenants before landlord countersign.
  6. Download the final PDF to a dated folder and leave it in-app (belt and suspenders for switches — see switch checklist).
  7. Never treat vendor “lawyer-reviewed” marketing as a substitute for local counsel on edge cases.

Fit notes for 1–20 units

Related

Educational product research only — not legal, tax, or fair-housing advice. Lease enforceability, disclosure requirements, and electronic-signature rules are jurisdiction-specific. Verify every workflow and plan gate in a live account before you tell tenants “sign in the portal.”