Free West Virginia Lease Agreement Template

Last updated July 17, 2026

Download a free West Virginia lease agreement template

A West Virginia residential lease agreement records the deal between a landlord and tenant for a home in West Virginia. It identifies the parties and premises, sets the rent and term, allocates utilities and maintenance responsibilities, and provides a written place for property rules. The free PDF and Word versions on this page are labeled for West Virginia and are intended as a practical starting document—not a substitute for checking which statutes, disclosures, or local rules apply to a particular property.

The principal research authority for this page is West Virginia Code chapters 36 through 39A, including articles 37-6 and 37-6A. Research scope: West Virginia residential-rental scope, deposit characterization and accounting, habitability, access-law gate, owner identity, periodic and breach termination, abandonment, casualty, foreclosure, domestic-violence possession relief, execution, and municipal building and inspection overlays. Because residential rules can depend on property type, tenancy length, location, and regulated-housing status, review the completed agreement and any required addenda before signing.

West Virginia lease topics to review

The current research draft for West Virginia identifies the following topics as relevant to residential lease preparation. Use them as a checklist, and verify each rule's scope, current text, and exceptions before adding a term to the lease.

• West Virginia uses separate general-tenancy, residential-deposit, squatter, and factory-built-home-site regimes that require a property and occupancy matrix.
• West Virginia bars waiver of residential-deposit rights but lets a lease alter certain periodic-notice and casualty rules and impose greater maintenance duties.
• West Virginia classifies funds by function and requires express written nonrefundability before pet or application fees fall outside the security-deposit definition.
• West Virginia requires fit and habitable residential premises, code compliance, repairs, working systems, and specified utility and common-area services.
• West Virginia's deposit law makes an undisclosing managing agent a landlord, while additional disclosure forms require federal, local, or special-property authority.
• West Virginia's default is three months for year-to-year and one full period for shorter periodic tenancies, subject to a special agreement and fixed-term exception.
• West Virginia requires a signed writing for a lease longer than one year and recognizes consent-based electronic records and signatures.
• A West Virginia lease requires address-level building, fire, inspection, occupancy, and valid home-rule review plus special-property and program gates.

The final lease should not waive protections that cannot lawfully be waived. If a selected term conflicts with a controlling statute, official form, court order, housing-program rule, or local ordinance, the controlling rule applies even when the parties signed different language.

What to include in a West Virginia residential lease

• Landlord, tenant, and premises details — use the parties' full legal names, the complete West Virginia property address, and a clear description of included parking, storage, furnishings, or shared spaces.
• Term and rent — state whether the tenancy is fixed-term or periodic, when it begins, when rent is due, accepted payment methods, and what happens at the end of the stated term.
• Deposits and charges — identify each deposit, prepaid amount, fee, and late-payment term separately so it can be compared with the current West Virginia rule that applies to the property.
• Utilities, maintenance, and access — allocate day-to-day responsibilities without attempting to transfer a nonwaivable landlord or tenant duty.
• Rules and addenda — document pets, smoking, parking, guests, insurance, association rules, and any federal, state, local, or property-specific disclosure that applies.
• Notices and signatures — provide reliable notice addresses and retain a complete signed copy for every party.

State and local checks before signing

A West Virginia lease requires address-level building, fire, inspection, occupancy, and valid home-rule review plus special-property and program gates. Confirm the property address and the current local text before signing.

Federal requirements can also apply. For example, most pre-1978 housing requires the federal lead-based-paint disclosure process. Manufactured housing, short-term occupancy, owner-occupied rooms, subsidized housing, and rent-regulated property may follow a different legal path from an ordinary residential lease.

Use the official source linked below to confirm the current statewide text. For a disputed tenancy, an eviction or termination, unusual fees, regulated housing, or a property in a city with additional renter protections, obtain advice about the specific facts before relying on a template.

How to use the free West Virginia template

1. Download the West Virginia PDF when you want a printable blank, or the Word file when you want to edit the text electronically.
2. Complete the parties, property, rent, term, deposit, utilities, maintenance, access, and notice fields.
3. Attach the disclosures and property-specific addenda that actually apply.
4. Compare the completed document with the current official source and local requirements.
5. Give every party the same final version to review before anyone signs, then retain the fully executed copy.

The guided builder is available when you prefer questions and a generated preview. Whether you use the free template or the builder, confirm the final agreement against the property and the parties' actual arrangement.