Paste any paragraph from your apartment lease and get plain-English explanations of every term. Holdover, quiet enjoyment, CAM charges, estoppel, acceleration clause — find out what you actually agreed to.
Why I built this
Most renters sign leases without understanding what they've agreed to. The terms are legal boilerplate written for landlords, not tenants — and the consequences of misunderstanding them can be costly.
The evidence that this pain is real:
- Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies documents how renters routinely struggle with the financial terms in leases — deposits, fees, and charges that aren't explained until after signing. This is structural: leases are written to protect landlords and assume legal literacy tenants don't have.
- NPR reported in 2023 that "junk fees" hidden in lease language — CAM charges, admin fees, convenience fees — are so pervasive that the FTC launched a rulemaking to address them. Tenants are signing agreements they can't parse.
- The SatisFacts 2025 Renter Study found that "information on mandatory fees beyond the advertised rent" ranked #1 in importance among renters — and hidden fees are the leading trigger for negative reviews. Renters desperately want clarity; leases don't provide it.
The alternatives that exist and why they fall short:
- ClearLease / LeaseAI — AI tools that require you to upload your entire lease document. This means your private lease (with personal details, addresses, terms) leaves your device. They're also AI-generated, meaning explanations can be confidently wrong about specific legal implications in your state.
- Nolo.com / LegalZoom glossaries — static reference lists. You have to know the term first, then look it up manually. If your lease says "lessor's lien" and you don't know to search for "lessor's lien," you won't find the explanation.
- Asking a lawyer — correct but expensive. Most renters don't have a lease attorney on speed dial for a 1-year apartment rental.
What this tool does differently: paste any section of your lease — including full paragraphs — and it highlights every recognized term with a plain-English explanation. Nothing leaves your browser. No AI hallucinations about your specific jurisdiction. No upload required.
Common questions
What is a holdover tenant?
A holdover tenant is someone who stays in a rental unit after their lease has expired without signing a new lease. In most states, if the landlord accepts rent after the lease ends, the tenancy automatically converts to month-to-month under the same terms. But some leases and states allow the landlord to charge holdover rent at 150–200% of the regular rate, or to treat the holdover as trespassing and pursue eviction.
What does quiet enjoyment mean?
Quiet enjoyment is your legal right to use your rental unit without interference from your landlord or anyone else claiming an interest in the property. It doesn't mean silence — it means undisturbed possession. Repeated landlord entry without proper notice, utility shutoffs intended to pressure you out, or persistent habitability failures can all violate quiet enjoyment, even if the lease doesn't say so explicitly. It's an implied covenant in most US states.
What does joint and several liability mean for roommates?
If your lease has joint and several liability, each roommate is on the hook for the full monthly rent — not just their share. If one roommate stops paying, you personally owe the whole amount. The landlord can collect the entire balance from any single tenant. This is standard in virtually all multi-tenant residential leases. Roommate agreements help protect you internally, but don't change what the landlord can collect from you.
What is the difference between a pet deposit and a pet fee?
A pet deposit is refundable — it's returned at the end of your lease, minus any pet-related damage. A pet fee (sometimes called a pet charge) is non-refundable; you pay it once and it's gone. Some landlords charge both. Some states have laws that cap the total security deposit (including pet deposits), so verify your local law. If the landlord says "pet deposit" but their lease says it's non-refundable, the written lease controls.
Can a landlord actually enforce an acceleration clause?
It depends on your state. Some states enforce residential acceleration clauses in full — if you break the lease, the landlord can demand all remaining rent at once. But many states require the landlord to mitigate damages by making reasonable efforts to re-rent the unit. In those states, you only owe rent for the months the unit sat vacant, not the full remaining term. Check your state's landlord-tenant law — "mitigation of damages" or "duty to mitigate" is the phrase to search.
What's the difference between subletting and assignment?
Subletting means you find someone to temporarily take over your unit while you remain on the lease — you're still responsible if the subtenant doesn't pay. Assignment means you completely transfer your lease to someone else; you leave the lease entirely (if the landlord agrees). Most residential leases prohibit subletting and assignment without written landlord consent. Doing either without permission is a lease violation that can justify eviction.