Is the Internet a safe place to find a Lease?

How do you know what’s a good Lease? Naturally, my inclination is going to be that you should talk to a real estate attorney, or you need to find somebody who has written a lease, who’s gone to trial with a lease, and who has read more than one lease.

Avoid “Uncle Joe’s” legal advice. If you go to Uncle Joe, and Uncle Joe has only ever dealt with the lease he’s had since 1965, he’s going to advise you based on what he knows because his experience is limited to that one lease.

Unfortunately, that may not cut it for you because the law constantly changes. Since the law changes, the requirements in what it makes a good lease are also changing. So, Uncle Joe’s lease may no longer apply.

Get a lease from someone who can answer questions about it. In terms of “what’s a good online outlet for a lease,” I can’t recommend that you go to the Internet to find your lease.

You need to go to an expert, such as, a real estate attorney, or a realtor who can also lead you to a good lease. The problem with the Internet is that it’s got a lot of information, but it does not necessarily have a lot of expertise in a way that you can Q&A with an expert.

It’s often difficult to figure out whether or not this particular document is suitable for you. Specifically, whether that document comports with the state law. And you may find a Texas lease that’s been used in Texas for a long time, but like in the “Uncle Joe” example, if that lease no longer applies to current Texas law, then it’s still not good.

So, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Does this lease comport with the state where you plan to use the lease?
2. Is it current?

It’s just like with Tax law, which is constantly changing, and you don’t want “Uncle Joe’s” advice. You want a CPA to guide you through the current Tax law. A real estate attorney, or a licensed realtor are going to be able to help you in terms of what is currently acceptable as a lease in Texas.