7 Reasons Why You Should Sign Your Lease Online

Signing leases online is a relatively new concept. In the past, landlords had to put aside the time to meet up with their tenant in person and sign a physical document. Now, that’s all changed. People have the luxury of signing online at their own convenience, and can even sign the lease agreement from a different state.

Although this service is still somewhat of a novelty (particularly among small-time landlords), it’s becoming more and increasingly expected that tenants will be allowed to sign a lease agreement online. Many potential tenants, particularly younger ones, prefer the comfort and ease offered by landlords who have gone digital.

Is Signing Online Legal?

Many landlords may feel some trepidation when it comes to moving their rental lease signing process online. They aren’t sure if it’s safe, legally-binding or affordable for their business. We can assure you that it is indeed all three of those things. In fact, Avail has helped more than thousands of DIY landlords take their rentals online and sign their leases digitally. Avail also offers the following benefits:

• Safe: With the standard for most website encryption already set at 128 bit encryption, any of your personal information is protected significantly better than a filing cabinet sitting in your home or office. This is especially true if you’ve been resorting to mailing or faxing copies of lease documentation back and forth.

• Legally Binding: According to the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, enacted by Congress in 2000, digital signatures are as legally binding as written signatures. Here is a snippet directly from the act:

“(1) a signature, contract, or other record relating to such transaction may not be denied legal effect, validity, or enforceability solely because it is in electronic form; and (2) a contract relating to such transaction may not be denied legal effect, validity, or enforceability solely because an electronic signature or electronic record was used in its formation.”

• Affordable: With services such as Avail, you can create customized online leases and then clone them with Unlimited Plus.

Should You Start Signing Electronically Now?

Online lease signing and other digital services are becoming the new, standard way of doing business for landlords. Establishing yourself online early will help you get adjusted to the new technology, as well as position yourself ahead of competitors.

Still not convinced? Here’s just a few ways that online lease signing can help both you and your tenant. We’ve also addressed any potential fears or concerns you may have about going online. Once you realize how much you have to gain from working online, making the switch will be a no-brainer.

7 Reasons to Sign Your Lease Online Today

Going digital in your lease signing can help you in all sorts of ways:

1. Saves Time: Digital signing makes things quicker for everyone involved. It’s much quicker to send an email than it is to print out a lease and meet with your tenant a number of times until they sign the document. They can review the lease on their own time, responding to you with any questions that can be answered on your own time.
2. Save Money: First, depending on how many clauses there are to your lease, it might not make sense to print our your lease. As you draft and re-draft the lease, adding and subtracting clauses, and making changes wanted by the tenant, dozens of copies can be printed. Why not save the paper and ink costs by going online? You also save yourself transportation costs of going to meet with your tenant.
3. Boost Occupancy: Going online makes you a more attractive landlord to tenants. It makes you look professional and up-to-date, instilling confidence in you and your abilities. It also gives you an edge over the competition who may not offer these modern services to their tenants.
4. Better Reviews: When it’s time for the tenant to move out, the convenience of online lease signing can make you look better in online reviews or person-to-person recommendations. They may recommend someone to the unit, citing how easy it is to deal with you because everything is done online.
5. Go Green: Another side benefit of going online is a cleaner green conscience. Saving paper means saving trees, making your business greener. The fact that you are making your business more eco-friendly may also be attractive to some tenants.
6. Make Renewal Easier: When a lease is available online, renewal becomes much easier. Simply resend the lease to the tenant for hassle-free signing.
7. Saves Distance: Tenants can sign the lease virtually instead of having to be present. Even tenants that live close-by will appreciate being able to sign the lease within the comfort of their homes.

Frequently Asked Questions: Online Lease Signing

Any longtime landlord would naturally be tentative about moving their business online, and even relatively new landlords who haven’t established a way of doing business may have concerns. Mostly, it comes down to security and safety. It can be difficult to know whether or not your information online is secure, but these important concerns are addressed below:

Is an Online Lease Legally-Binding? 

Yes, online leases are just as valid as paper and ink leases, and the signatures obtained online are as legally binding as those in-person. If you still feel uncomfortable, you can always print out a hard copy of the signed lease for your records. Ultimately, the main concern is having the lease is in writing. While any verbal agreement has very little standing in a court, a written lease is legally binding.

Is an Online Signature on a Lease Agreement Valid? 

Yes. Whether signing in-person or through an online portal, a signature is binding either way. As long as the digital signature meets two requirements, you’ll be all set: 1) must be attributable to the person doing the singing (i.e. linking the signature to a sign-on and email account lets a court know who actually signed the lease) and 2) cannot be edited or changed once signed (i.e. the data should be stored in a way where it cannot be overwritten or modified by anyone).

How Do I Know the Website is Secure? 

When using online lease signing technology, be sure to do your research. You don’t want to use a service with less than rigorous security measures. Looks for a high level of data encryption, such as 128 or 256-bit encryption. If the website is at an “https” address, the site is pretty secure. The signing process should also be behind a sign-on/log-on so that other people cannot access your account. And obviously, passwords and personal data should be encrypted.

What Happens If the Website Goes Down?  

If you’re using Avail, this shouldn’t be a problem. It’s not common for online portals to go down. More likely, if there are any difficulties with accessing a platform, problems are often coming from the user’s end. General troubleshooting, such as checking your internet connection or restarting your computer, will solve many problems. And most online providers offer a high level of support — at Avail, you can chat live with a customer support person if you need additional assistance.

How Easy Is it to Use Avail Software? 

Avail was made to be user-friendly. Landlords are guided through the steps needed to create a customized lawyer-approved lease, and tenants have it even easier — all they have to do is sign in and sign the lease. You also have the option to upload your own lease agreement to digitally sign for free and store in your dashboard.

Do Tenants Experience Problems With Signing an Online Lease?

Usually, no. It depends on the tenant and their level of technological literacy. If they do have initial difficulties using the system, Avail offers 24/7 support for you and your tenant.

Securely Sign Your Lease Agreements

Avail is rental property management software that can help you move to an online lease signing platform. You can say goodbye to having to manually process your lease agreements and have it easily done online, hassle-free.

Create an account or log in today to start experiencing the joys of digital lease signing and more.