A co-signer is an individual who agrees to share the responsibility of ensuring that a lease or loan is paid alongside the primary signer. Unlike a guarantor, who typically does not reside at the rental property, a co-signer may choose to live there. Co-signers are commonly family members or close friends, but they can essentially be anyone willing to take on the obligation.

By co-signing, this individual confirms their commitment to fulfill all the financial terms and conditions outlined in the lease agreement. This includes making timely rent payments, covering damages or cleaning expenses, settling unpaid utilities, and handling any fees, fines, or additional charges. It's important to note that a co-signer's responsibility extends throughout the entirety of the lease term, including any extensions, renewals, amendments, or updates to the agreement.

Co-signers must formally acknowledge their acceptance of the lease's terms by signing a designated co-signer agreement. As a TurboTenant user, you have the benefit of finding this agreement in our comprehensive Forms Pack which is included with Premium membership.

To maintain distinct roles, we will have a couple of options to sign the co-signer agreement in a way that clarifies the tenants and co-signers from each other.

To create one document with the co-signer agreement and the co-signer as an additional signer, you will want to start by creating your lease agreement in your lease profile.

Go to your Leases tab, select your lease profile, and at the bottom of the page, select "Get a *state* Lease Agreement." When filling out your lease agreement information, in the People on the Lease section of the builder, add your tenant to the lease in the Tenants section, and make sure your information looks correct as the landlord. Then, at the bottom of this section, you will see a question that says, "Are there any additional signers?" Select "yes" and enter your cosigner's name and email. You will need to type this in even if they applied through TurboTenant.

Continue filling out your lease agreement, and in the Provisions and Attachments section of the Builder, add your filled-out (but unsigned) Co-Signer Agreement Form.

Once your attachment is added and your lease is completed, you can send the lease out for signatures. Add the signature boxes to the Co-Signer Agreement in the e-signature set-up, and then send the document out to all parties. Your co-signer agreement will be at the end of your lease agreement.

Congratulations, you have sent your lease for signatures. Wait for your tenant and the co-signer to sign, as a landlord, you will sign last to seal the deal.

The other option for the co-signer to sign would be to send out the lease agreement with no co-signer agreement attached and have the tenant sign the lease document on their own, and then send out the co-signer agreement as a separate document in "Request Electronic Signatures. This would make the lease and the agreement separate forms in your account.

For this option, when in the lease builder you will have only the tenant added (and no agreement added in the attachments) and select "Finalize and E-sign" and then "Set Up E-Signatures" to send the lease to the tenant for signatures. You will then upload the completed co-signer agreement to "Request Electronic Signatures" for you and the co-signer to sign.* If the tenant does not need to sign this form, you will want to unselect their name in the e-signature setup.

*If your co-signer did not apply through TurboTenant you will want to add them under "Add Additional Signers" but a tenant will need to be added to sign as well.

Once you have the signers set, you will go into the e-sign setup and drag and drop the signature boxes for you and the co-signer. You can see more on how to set up e-signatures here. Once the signatures are set up, you can send the document out for signatures, and you will see both of your documents listed for e-sign.

It is recommended that the co-signer review the lease terms so they are aware of what they are responsible for. If using this method, you should provide the co-signer a copy of the draft lease to review as well.

By adhering to these methods, you keep your co-signer rightfully listed in the lease agreement as only a co-signer and clearly distinguish the roles of all parties involved in the lease agreement.

Q: Can I remove a co-signer from the lease?

A: Yes, you can remove an additional signer or co-signer from the lease builder. To do this, you will go back into the "People on the Lease" section of the lease builder, and at the bottom of the screen where you selected "Yes" to your additional signer, select "No" and save your changes! This will remove the additional signer (or co-signer) from the lease.

Q: Can I edit the email for the co-signer?

A: Yes, you can edit the name and email for a co-signer or additional signer from the lease builder. To do this, you will go back into the "People on the Lease" section of the lease builder, and at the bottom of the screen where you selected "Yes" to your additional signer, select "Edit" to the right-hand side of your additional signer. Make sure to save your changes!

Q: Can I add multiple co-signers or additional signers?

A: Yes! You can add multiple additional signers in the "People on the Lease" section of the builder. Just select "yes" to "Are there any additional signers?" and click "Add additional signer" for as many people as you need.