California leases

Signing a lease in California? Read what's in it first.

Upload the lease and we'll flag the clauses that cost renters money. Deposits, fees, early exit, repairs and who's allowed in when. $1 for the top three.

  1. 15 min$1 teaser, the top 3 flagged clauses
  2. 1 hour$19 full review of every clause
  3. 2 hours$59 deep review with country-specific notes
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What kind of contract is it?

Supplier agreement
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Lease
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Want to check it yourself first? Our guides walk through an NDA, a lease and an employment contract.

Where are you based?

Which review do you want? (You can start with the $1 trial either way.)
$1 trial teaser · top-3 clauses · ~15 min
Standard review · full report · ~60 min
Deep review · country-specific + Q&A · ~2h

How do we reach you?

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By submitting, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. This is a second-opinion service. Not legal advice, and no sign-off is given.

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Thanks. We've got your details. Start your $1 trial below to get your teaser report, showing the top three flagged clauses, in your inbox in about 15 minutes. Remember: this is a second opinion, not legal advice. You decide what to do next.

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Start with the $1 teaser. Buy a full review only if you want one.

See a sample report
Sample report

This is what lands in your inbox.

A one-bedroom lease in LA, reviewed. Names are made up. The format is the real one.

Contract Analysis
Residential lease · 1BR apartment, Los Angeles
Second opinion
Overall risk MODERATE
LowModerateHigh
§4 Security deposit High

Two months' rent as a deposit, plus a separate $400 cleaning fee. Since July 2024 California caps most deposits at one month's rent, so this is worth a question.

Higher than most California leases in our library

§9 Breaking the lease early Moderate

Leaving early costs a flat two months' rent, on top of rent until a new tenant moves in. That can add up fast.

Steeper than most early-exit clauses we've seen

§15 Landlord entry Low

24 hours' written notice before they come in, except in emergencies. Standard.

In line with most California leases

Analysed by ReCounsel
Illustrative sample report

Jurisdiction overlay

The review applies the law of the country you picked. That covers the US, UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, Canada and Australia.

Questions to ask

The three to five points worth raising with the other side before you sign, ranked by how much they could cost you.

What we check

Most renters sign the lease on the spot.

The apartment's good and three other people want it. So the deposit, the move-out fees and the early exit penalty get signed without a second look. Those are the clauses that cost you later.

Deposits and fees

What you pay upfront, what's refundable and what they can deduct when you leave.

Getting out early

What it costs to break the lease if your job or life changes.

Repairs and upkeep

Who pays when something breaks, and how fast they have to fix it.

Rent increases and renewals

When the rent can go up, by how much, and what happens at the end of the term.

Pricing

Start for $1. Buy a pack when you're ready.

You don't sign contracts on a schedule, so you buy reviews in packs and use them when you need them. Credits last 12 months. All prices in USD.

Trial
$1
1 contract · teaser
  • Top-3 flagged clauses
  • Teaser report
  • Delivered in ~15 min
Try for $1 →
Single
$19
1 full Standard review
  • Clause-by-clause analysis
  • Benchmark context
  • Redline suggestions
Buy Single →
Good first pack
Pack 5
$79
$15.80 / review · 12 mo
  • 5 Standard reviews
  • Valid 12 months
  • Use as you sign
Get Pack 5 →
Pack 15
$199
$13.27 / review · 12 mo
  • 15 Standard reviews
  • + 3 Deep reviews
  • Valid 12 months
Get Pack 15 →
Pack 40
$449
$11.23 / review · 12 mo
  • 40 Standard reviews
  • + 10 Deep reviews
  • Priority processing
Get Pack 40 →
Deep review
À la carte
$59

1 Deep review. Everything in a Standard review, plus commentary specific to the country whose laws apply, and 30-day AI Q&A on your contract.

Add a Deep review →

All prices in USD. Stripe handles conversion for non-US buyers at live rates. A $19 review is about £15 or €18. Credits are good for 12 months. No “use it or lose it” monthly pressure.

How it works

What happens after you upload.

For anyone who wants to check before paying.

01 · Upload

Tell us about it

Drop your contract (PDF, Word, or paste). Tell us which country's laws apply and what you're worried about. Ninety seconds, start to finish.

02 · We read it

Every clause, scored

Each clause is pulled out, sorted by type and set against similar clauses from contracts we've reviewed before. The ones that look unusual or one-sided get flagged.

03 · You decide

A second opinion, yours to act on

The report tells you which clauses to look at and why, with suggested wording where it helps. We don't sign off and we don't tell you whether to sign. What you do next is up to you.

How your contract gets read

Your contract goes through five passes. First every clause is pulled out and labelled. Then each one is matched with similar clauses from contracts we've already reviewed, scored for risk, and written up in plain English.

Every review adds to that library, so a lease clause today is compared with more leases than it was last month.

0 min
Contract received
~15 min
Trial teaser delivered
~60 min
Standard review ready
~2 h
Deep review delivered
Trust and privacy

Before you upload anything, here's what we do with it.

What ReCounsel does

ReCounsel reads your contract and points out what deserves a closer look. It explains and flags. You make the call. We don't give legal advice and we don't sign off.

Clauses compared with contracts we've reviewed
Second opinion · you decide
Not legal advice · no sign-off
US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and parts of the EU

Your contract stays yours

Here's what happens to the file you upload:

Encrypted, always. Nobody can read your contract in transit or on our servers. Even we can't browse the file itself without your account.
Never used to train models. Your contract isn't used to train any AI model. There's no setting to switch off.
Deleted automatically. Your file and your report are erased after 12 months. You can delete them sooner from your account any time.
EU privacy rules. Your data is handled under UK and EU privacy law (UK GDPR and GDPR). See the Privacy Policy for full residency details.
Questions

Before you upload.

No. ReCounsel is a second-opinion service. It flags clauses worth asking about. It does not give legal advice, it doesn't sign off and it doesn't tell you whether to sign. For a dispute with a landlord, talk to a lawyer or a local tenant rights group.
The report points out clauses that look unusual or that you may want to question, with the reason. It doesn't rule on whether anyone is breaking the law. That's a question for a lawyer.
Yes. Pick United States in step 2. This page is set up for California leases, and the main page covers the rest.
$1 for a teaser with the top three flagged clauses. $19 for the full review of every clause.
Email hello@re-counsel.com. A person reads every message and we reply within one business day. More answers on the main page.