Free Home Business Lease Addendum Template

What is a home business addendum?

Many leases say the home may be used only as a private residence. That works badly for a tenant who tutors children, prepares tax returns, gives music lessons or ships online orders from a spare room. A home business addendum gives the landlord's consent for one named activity and sets the limits that keep the property a home and the neighbours happy.

You describe the activity and the part of the home it's run from, and choose whether clients may visit, during what hours and how many a day. Choose whether a staff member may work there and whether a small sign is allowed, and add a parking rule. The tenant takes care of permits, taxes and insurance, and you can set a minimum liability cover. Optional extra rent can be added. The landlord can withdraw consent after an unremedied breach, and the lease continues either way.

Best for: Home offices with clients, tutors, music teachers, small online sellers
Signed by: Landlord and tenant, initialled on every page
Key limits: Activity, visits per day, visiting hours, staff, signs, deliveries
Length: 2 pages

When to use a home business addendum

A bookkeeper or therapist seeing clients by appointment at home
A piano or language teacher giving lessons in the living room
A tenant running an online shop with regular courier pickups
A consultant working from a spare-room office with no client visits
Formalising a home business a tenant already runs

What you fill in

19 blanks, then the name and email of each person who signs: landlord, tenant.

1 The lease

Date of this addendum*
Landlord or managing agent*
Tenant name(s)*
Address of the rented property*
Date of the lease*

2 The business

Business name (optional)
Permitted business activity*
Where in the home the business is run*

3 Visits, staff and signs

Client or customer visits* No clients or customers visit the Property. · Clients may visit by appointment only. · Clients may visit by appointment only, one at a time.
Visiting hours (optional)
Most client visits per day (optional)
Staff working at the Property* No employees or contractors other than the Tenant work at the Property. · Up to one employee or contractor, besides the Tenant, may work at the Property.
Signs* No business signs are allowed outside the Property or in its windows. · One small sign at the door is allowed, of a size and design the Landlord approves in writing first, and as building and local rules allow.
Client parking (optional)

4 Insurance and fees

Insurance the tenant must carry*
Minimum liability cover (optional)
Currency*
Extra monthly rent for business use (optional)
Governing law*

5 Who signs

Landlord signature and date, initials on every page · The landlord or the managing agent who signs leases for the landlord.
Tenant signature and date, initials on every page · The tenant running the business. If several tenants are on the lease, name them all above and send a copy to each one to sign, or check that the lease lets one tenant agree for all.

What the home business addendum covers

Permitted business
Clients, staff and parking
Signs, deliveries and storage
Noise and neighbours
Permits, taxes and compliance
Insurance and responsibility
Rent and utilities
Withdrawing consent and general

Using the home business addendum, step by step

1 Link it to the lease

Enter the landlord, tenants, property address and lease date.

2 Describe the business

Write the permitted activity, the business name if any, and where in the home it's run.

3 Set visits, staff and signs

Choose the visit rule and any hours, daily limit and parking rule, whether one staff member is allowed, and whether a sign is allowed.

4 Insurance, rent and signing

List the insurance and any minimum cover, add extra rent if you agreed it, and send for signature.

Tips before you send it

Your consent as landlord isn't the same as zoning approval. Many areas need a home occupation permit, and some HOAs ban client visits.
Ask for the certificate of business liability insurance before client visits start. Most renters' policies exclude business use.
Tell your own building insurer about the business use. The addendum makes the tenant pay any extra premium.
Keep the activity description narrow. A broader business later needs a new addendum.

Sign it online in minutes

Fill in the blanks. Names, dates and amounts go straight into the agreement — the preview shows exactly where.
Name who signs. Tick “This is me” for your own part. FileIt builds the PDF with every signature, date and initials box on the right line, and you can check or move anything before sending.
Send it. Each signer gets a secure link and signs from any device — no account needed. The signed PDF, with an audit trail and a Certificate of Completion, is filed in your vault and emailed to everyone.

Use the home business addendum template — it’s free

Home business addendum: frequently asked questions

Does this make the business legal under zoning rules?

No. The addendum is the landlord's consent only. The tenant must get any licence or home occupation permit and stop or change the business if an authority or association says it isn't allowed.

Can the landlord charge more rent for business use?

You can add extra monthly rent, which applies as far as the law allows. If you leave it blank, the addendum says the rent doesn't change.

What if neighbours complain?

If the landlord receives a reasonable complaint about the business, the tenant takes reasonable steps to fix it. A serious or repeated breach that isn't put right within 14 days of written notice lets the landlord withdraw consent on 30 days' notice.

Can the addendum be e-signed?

Yes, in most places. A lease addendum is the kind of everyday agreement covered by e-signature laws such as the US ESIGN Act and UETA, eIDAS and UK law. FileIt adds a Certificate of Completion.