# How bookkeepers request a lease from clients

Source: https://dokutrak.com/requests/bookkeepers/lease-agreement
Author: Arthur Teboul, DokuTrak
Published: 2026-11-04
Language: en-US

> Ask the client for the signed lease on every space or piece of equipment the business rents, with all amendments. You need the monthly rent, escalation dates, security deposit and who pays taxes, insurance and common area charges, so each month’s rent posts correctly and the deposit sits on the balance sheet. Ask at onboarding and at each renewal.

## Why bookkeepers need a lease

Rent is usually the largest fixed cost a small business has, and the lease is the only place that says what it should be each month. With it you can spot a missed escalation, a charge for common area maintenance that was never budgeted, or a deposit that was expensed instead of recorded as an asset. If the business reports under GAAP, leases longer than twelve months may also need to be recorded on the balance sheet, and that work starts from the lease terms.

## What exactly to ask for

The full signed lease and every amendment or renewal, for each office, store, warehouse, vehicle or equipment lease in force. Ask for the pages with the rent schedule, deposit and expense-sharing clauses if the client cannot find the whole document, and for any year-end common area reconciliation from the landlord.

## What to check when it arrives

- The rent schedule and escalation dates match what the bank statements show leaving each month.
- The security deposit amount is stated, so it can be recorded as an asset.
- The lease term and renewal dates are clear, along with who pays taxes, insurance and common area charges.

## Email to send your client

Subject: A copy of your lease

```text
Hi [Client name],

Could you send me a copy of the lease for your space, and for any equipment or vehicles the business rents? I need the signed version with every amendment or renewal.

The lease tells me the rent for each month, when increases kick in and the deposit you paid, so I can record the rent correctly and keep the deposit on your balance sheet.

Could you send it by [date]? If the original is with your landlord or attorney, they can usually send a copy, and I am glad to help with that request.

Thank you,
[Your name]
```

## Ask once. DokuTrak does the chasing.

- Your client uploads from one link, with no account and no password.
- Reminders go out on a schedule, by default 2, 5, 10 and 14 days after the request, until the file arrives.
- With AI review switched on in your workspace (it is off by default), each upload gets a first pass that flags a file that is not a lease, an unreadable or blurry scan or a copy where one of these is missing or cut off: the tenant’s name, the property address. It says so when it is not sure.
- You accept every file or mark it for re-upload, and your client gets the note by email. The AI never accepts a file.

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