Most of the lease disputes that reach our property management team were not caused by bad faith. They were caused by a contract signed in a hurry, with the important details left to a phone call.
Whether you are the tenant or the owner, the checks below take less than an hour, and they are the same ones we run on every unit we manage.
Registration on Ejar comes first
Every one of our contracts is registered on Ejar without exception, and both parties receive the authenticated copy the same day. An unregistered lease is a weak document for both sides: the tenant has little to rely on if the owner changes the terms, and the owner has little to rely on if the rent stops. If the other party suggests registering later, that alone is a reason to pause.
Before registering, confirm that the names, ID numbers and property details in the draft match the title deed and the unit you actually viewed — including the unit number inside the building. If someone is signing on the owner's behalf, ask for the power of attorney and check that it is valid and covers leasing.
Rent, payments and deposit
Write the annual rent, the number of instalments, their due dates and the payment method into the contract itself. A payment schedule agreed verbally is the most common source of the first dispute in units we take over from other owners. If a security deposit is taken, state its amount, what it covers and when it is returned, and tie its return to the handover report rather than to the owner's impression on the last day. We also recommend paying through traceable channels rather than in cash, so every payment leaves a record either side can point to.
Who pays for maintenance
In the units we manage, scheduled maintenance sits with the owner and consumables with the tenant. That split only helps if it is detailed: air-conditioning servicing, water heaters, pumps and roof tanks should each be assigned to one side, with a clear amount, in a contract annex. The phrase “minor repairs are on the tenant” means something different to each party on the day an AC compressor fails in the middle of summer. We also set a response time for each type of fault, because a tenant left waiting a week for an air conditioner in summer starts looking for another unit.
A maintenance clause without amounts is not a clause. It is the lease's first argument, postponed.
Renewal and leaving early
Check how the lease renews — automatically or by new agreement — how many days' notice each side must give, and whether a rent change at renewal is capped or open. Then read the early termination clause twice. Tenants often assume they can leave on a month's notice; owners often assume the remaining rent is due in full. The contract should say which, and say it in numbers rather than general wording.
Finally, walk through the unit with the other party before the keys change hands, and both sign a dated handover report with photographs of every room. The same report is used when the tenant leaves, and it settles most deposit disagreements in minutes.
Practical takeaway
Do not sign a lease that will not be registered on Ejar, and do not accept any term — maintenance, deposit or notice — that exists only in conversation. If you own a unit and would rather not handle these details yourself, our management fee is 5% of annual rent and covers collection, follow-up and renewal, starting from a single unit.