How to get a lease signed by several tenants
A lease for three roommates and a parent co-signing is four people in four places, plus you. Passing one PDF from inbox to inbox takes a week and ends with someone signing an old copy. Sent as one envelope, everyone signs the same lease from their own phone in the right order. Here's how to set it up, and how to handle the tenant who goes quiet.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 3 min read
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Who should sign
- Every adult who'll live there, each as a separate signer. Leaving someone off can leave you with an occupant who never agreed to the rules.
- Co-signers or guarantors, if you require them. They sign the lease or a guaranty attached to it.
- You, the landlord or manager, last, once everyone else has agreed.
Many leases make roommates jointly and severally liable, meaning each tenant can be held responsible for the whole rent, not just their share. If yours does, say so plainly and ask each tenant to initial that clause. Lease rules vary by state; see our e-signature laws by state and check local requirements.
Plan the signing order
| Turn | Who | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | All tenants, on the same turn | They sign in any order, at the same time |
| 2 | Co-signer or guarantor | They see that the tenants have signed first |
| 3 | Landlord or property manager | You countersign a lease everyone has agreed to |
Set it up in SignMaster
The lease and any addenda (pets, parking, house rules) travel together in one envelope: SignMaster's word for one send, with one or more documents going to one or more signers.
- 1
Upload the lease and addenda
Click New envelope and add the lease PDF and each addendum. Or start from your lease template if you reuse one.
- 2
Add each tenant with their own email
On Recipients & order, choose In order and add each tenant. Set the second and third tenants to Same turn as above, so all three sign together. Use each person's own email, not a shared household one.
- 3
Add the co-signer, then yourself
Add the co-signer on the next turn and yourself with Add me on the last. Set a tenant's language if they'd rather read the signing page in Spanish or another language.
- 4
Place fields for each person
Choose each tenant in turn and place their signature, date signed and initials. For initials on every page, place one box and use Copy to other pages; give each tenant a different spot so their boxes don't overlap.
- 5
Set a deadline and send
On Message & settings, add a sign-by date before move-in and reminders every few days, then send.
Handling the usual hiccups
- One roommate is slow. The envelope shows who's signed, like 2 of 3. Click Remind on just that person, or Copy link and text it to them.
- A roommate drops out before signing. Use Correct to remove them or Replace signer to swap in the new roommate, without bothering the tenants who've signed.
- A tenant wants a change. They choose Request changes, which stops this copy for everyone; duplicate it as a draft, update the lease and resend.
- Someone's at the showing. Open the envelope and use Sign in person for them while the others sign from their links.
When the last signature is in, every tenant, the co-signer and you get the same signed lease by email, with a certificate of completion showing who signed each part and when. Renewing a building full of leases each year? Bulk send sends one personal envelope per row of a spreadsheet, up to 500 rows per send on Crew.
Questions? Answers.
Does every roommate need to sign the lease?
Generally every adult occupant should, so each one is bound by the lease terms. Check your state's rules and your lease with a local professional.
Can tenants sign the lease at the same time?
Yes. Put them on the same turn so they all get their links at once, then have the co-signer and landlord sign after.
What if a tenant shares an email with their partner?
Ask for separate addresses. Each signer's link, copy and record are tied to their email, so two people on one inbox makes it harder to show who signed.
Can I see which tenant hasn't signed yet?
Yes. Each tenant's line on the envelope shows Signed or Waiting to sign, and the activity shows when each one opened the lease.