Getting Started
There are two common ways to begin creating a lease. The most typical path starts from an approved application. On the application’s detail page, click Actions > Create Lease, and Revela will carry forward the applicant’s information, desired unit, and move-in date into the lease form automatically.
If you need to create a lease without an existing application, navigate to Leasing > Leasing Pipeline and click the New Lease button at the top of the page. This opens a blank lease form where you can enter all the details manually.
Creating the Lease
If you are creating a lease from an approved application, the form pre-populates with data from the application; this means that the property, unit, move-in date, and applicant details are all filled in for you, saving time and reducing the chance of data entry errors. You can still adjust any of these fields before saving. However, if you are creating a new lease from scratch, you must manually enter all of the fields mentioned above.
The top section of the lease form asks you to choose a Property and a Unit. If you started the lease form from an approved application, both fields will already be filled in. Otherwise, start by selecting the property from the dropdown, which then populates the unit list with available units for that property.
Once a unit is selected, Revela displays the associated floor plan details — including the number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, and total square footage. The unit’s listed price is also pulled in and used as the default amount for the Monthly Rent charge that appears later in the form. If the unit you select already has an active lease that overlaps with your chosen dates, a warning will appear so you can address the conflict before proceeding.
Setting Lease Dates and Renewal Type
You will then be required to enter lease term details, which include the following fields:
- The Lease Duration section contains the core terms of the lease, such as the Start Date and End Date, which define the lease period.
- NOTE: When coming from an application, these dates are calculated based on the applicant’s desired move-in date and the lease term length they selected during the application process. You are free to adjust either date as needed.
- The Renewal dropdown determines what happens when the lease term ends. There are three options, each suited to different leasing scenarios:
- Fixed is the most straightforward option. The lease runs from the start date to the end date and then expires. To continue the tenancy, you would need to create a new lease or renew the existing one manually. This is the standard choice for traditional fixed-term lease agreements.
- Month to Month means the lease has no defined expiration and continues automatically on a month by-month basis until either party terminates it. This option is commonly used for tenants who need flexibility or for situations where a long-term commitment is not required.
- Rollover provides a hybrid approach. The lease begins as a fixed term with defined start and end dates, but if the lease has not been renewed or terminated when the end date arrives, it automatically converts to a month-to-month arrangement. This gives both parties the stability of a defined initial term with the convenience of automatic continuation.
- The Proration dropdown controls how partial-month charges are calculated when a lease starts or ends mid-month. Options include:
- Per Diem - This option calculates the charge based on the actual number of days in the month. For example, if a lease starts on the 15th of a 30-day month, the tenant is billed for 16 out of 30 days. This is the most common and precise proration method.
- Per Diem 30 - This option works similarly to Per Diem but assumes every month has exactly 30 days, regardless of the actual number of days in the calendar month, which simplifies calculations and provides consistency across months.
- Nearest Month - This option rounds the charge to the nearest full month. If the partial period is closer to a full month than a half month, the full monthly amount is charged. If it is closer to zero, no charge is generated for that partial period.
- Half Month - This option uses a half-month threshold. If the tenant occupies the unit for more than half the month, the full monthly amount is billed. If less than half the month, no charge is generated for that period.
- None - This option disables proration entirely, and the full monthly amount is charged regardless of when the lease starts or ends within a month. This means a tenant moving in on the 25th would still be billed the full monthly amount for that month.
- Whole - This option charges the full monthly amount for any month in which the lease is active, even if only a single day falls within that month. This is similar to None but explicitly ensures every active month is billed in full.
Adding Tenants to the Lease
The Tenants section is where you define who will be part of the lease agreement. If you created a lease from an approved application, the primary applicant and any co-applicants, occupants, guarantors, or minors from the application will already appear in the tenant list. Their roles carry over automatically: a primary applicant becomes the Primary Tenant, a co-applicant becomes a Co-Tenant, and so on.
Adding Applicants from the System
To add someone who already exists in Revela, such as a co applicant from an application or an existing tenant, use the Add Applicant dropdown. This search field lets you look up individuals by name from your submitted applications and existing lease members. Select the person you want to add, and they will appear in the tenants table where you can assign or adjust their role.
Adding New Tenants Manually
If the person you need to add is not already in the system, click Add Additional Tenant. An input field will open where you can enter the individual’s Full Name, Email, and Phone number. Click Save to add them to the lease.
Understanding Tenant Roles
Each person on a lease is assigned a role that determines their level of responsibility and how they interact with the lease.
- The Primary Tenant is the main leaseholder. Every lease must have exactly one Primary Tenant. This individual is the primary point of contact for the tenancy and is financially responsible for all lease obligations. Charges are allocated to the Primary Tenant by default.
- The Co-Tenant is an additional financially responsible party on the lease. Co-Tenants share the same legal obligations as the Primary Tenant and appear on charge allocations. You can have multiple Co-Tenants on a single lease.
- The Guarantor is a financially responsible party who does not live in the unit. A Guarantor co-signs the lease and takes on financial liability but is not an occupant. This role is often used for a parent or guardian backing a tenant who may not meet income requirements on their own.
- An Occupant is someone who lives in the unit but is not financially responsible. Occupants are not included in charge allocations and do not sign financial documents. This role is typically used for live-in aides, partners, or other household members who are not on the lease financially.
- A Minor is similar to an Occupant — a non-financially responsible individual residing in the unit, specifically a child of one of the tenants.
You can change any tenant’s role using the role dropdown in the tenants table. To remove a tenant before saving, click the Remove button next to their name. Keep in mind that you cannot remove the Primary Tenant without first assigning that role to someone else.
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Adding Charges to the Lease
The Charges section defines the financial terms of the lease. Each charge added to a lease has the following details:
- Charge Code - This refers to the general ledger account the charge will post to
- Name
- Amount
- Frequency - This toggle lets you switch between Monthly (recurring) and One Time charges. Recurring charges are billed on each billing cycle throughout the lease term. One-time charges, such as a security deposit, are invoiced immediately when the lease is created.
- NOTE: For recurring charges, the Entire Term checkbox links the charge dates to the lease’s start and end dates automatically. If you uncheck it, custom Start Date and End Date fields appear, allowing you to set a different billing period for that specific charge.
- Bill Separately - This checkbox controls whether a recurring charge generates its own separate invoice or is grouped with other charges on the same invoice.
To add more charges, click the Add Charge button. If charge presets have been configured for the property, a dropdown appears with common options like Security Deposit along with any other presets. You can also select Blank to create a charge from scratch.
When multiple tenants are on the lease, each charge displays a Tenant Amounts section where you can specify how the charge is allocated among the financially responsible tenants. The Split button evenly divides the total charge amount.
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Saving the Lease
Once all sections are complete, click Create to finalize the lease. Revela will confirm the lease was created successfully and redirect you to the new lease’s detail page.
From the lease detail page, you can review the lease summary, which displays the property and unit, start and end dates, monthly charge total, one-time fee total, all tenants with their roles and move-in/move-out dates, and the full charge schedule broken down by account and allocation. Please find an example of a lease summary below:
Editing a Lease After Creation
If you need to make changes to a lease after it has been created, navigate to the lease detail page and click Actions > Edit. This reopens the same lease form with all existing information populated — unit, dates, tenants, and charges. Make your adjustments and click Save to apply the changes.
Keep in mind that certain changes may have downstream effects. For instance, adjusting the start or end date on a lease where Entire Term is enabled for recurring charges will automatically update those charge dates to match. Adding or removing tenants may also require you to re-allocate charge amounts.
Common Next Steps After Lease Creation
After the lease is created, there are several common next steps depending on your workflow.
From the lease detail page, click Actions > Prepare Document to generate a lease agreement document from your organization’s templates. Once the document is ready, use Actions > Send for Signatures to send it to all financially responsible tenants for electronic signature. Revela manages the full signing workflow, sending the document to tenants first and then to the designated countersigner once all tenant signatures are collected. This creates a fully executed lease agreement between the tenant(s) and their property management company for future reference.
Renewing the lease of an existing tenant can also be managed through the lease summary page. Clicking Actions > Renew opens a new lease form pre-populated with the current lease’s details and sets the start date of the renewal to the day after the existing lease ends. You will be able to make any applicable modifications (i.e. increases to monthly rent, additional charges, etc.) through the renewal lease creation form.
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Tips & Best Practices
When creating a lease from an approved application, take a moment to verify that the pre-populated information is correct.While the form pulls data directly from the application, situations can change between approval and lease creation.
Always confirm that charge allocations add up correctly when multiple tenants are on the lease. The Split button provides an easy starting point for even divisions, but custom arrangements should be reviewed carefully before saving.
If your property has charge presets configured, take advantage of them when adding charges. Presets ensure the correct ledger account and standard amounts are used, which helps maintain consistency across leases and reduces accounting errors.
For leases where you want automatic continuation after the initial term, choose Rollover rather than Month to Month. Rollover gives you the benefit of a defined lease period while still providing the safety net of month-to-month continuation if a renewal is not processed in time. Reserve Month to Month for situations where no fixed term is needed from the start.