Some clauses are void by statute no matter who signed them. Check a clause type against your state’s prohibited-provision law, with the citation.
What this checks, and what it can't
Some lease clauses are void by statute no matter what both parties signed. Waivers of habitability, confessions of judgment, and one-way attorney-fee clauses are the classic examples — a signature does not save them. This tool checks a clause type against the prohibited-provision statutes recorded in our state dataset and shows you the citation.
An important limit: when our dataset holds no prohibition on record for your state, this tool says exactly that — it does not tell you the clause is enforceable. Absence of a recorded prohibition is not evidence of legality. General contract doctrine, case law, and local ordinances all sit outside this dataset, and a clause can be unenforceable for reasons no statute lists.
Common questions
If the tenant signed it, isn't it binding?
Not for this category of clause. Prohibited-provision statutes exist precisely because signatures are not freely given in housing — they void the clause regardless of consent. In several states, knowingly including a void provision is itself actionable, separately from trying to enforce it.
Does one void clause void the whole lease?
Usually not. Most leases have a severability clause, and most statutes strike the offending provision while leaving the rest of the tenancy intact. The practical risk is narrower and more common: the landlord relies on a clause that turns out to be unenforceable at exactly the moment they need it.
Why does the tool refuse to say a clause is legal?
Because that would be a stronger claim than the underlying data supports. This dataset records prohibitions that have been verified against statute. Confirming a clause is not prohibited by statute is not the same as confirming it is enforceable — case law and local ordinances can void a clause that no statute mentions.
Disclaimer: This tool provides general information about state landlord-tenant law and is not legal advice. Statutory rules are quoted from our state-variance dataset with the statute citation shown; laws change, and local ordinances may impose stricter rules than the statewide figures here. Verify the current statute before acting, and consult a licensed attorney for your situation. Dataset compiled 2026-07-08.
Start from a lease that doesn't contain the problem