Guides / SignSnap
How to fill and sign a lease on your phone
To fill and sign a lease on your phone, open the lease PDF in the Files app, type your details into the blanks with Markup, add your initials and signature wherever the lease asks for them, then send the finished PDF back to your landlord. If you were handed paper, scan it into a PDF first.
Step 1: Get the lease as a PDF
If the lease came by email, tap the attachment, tap the share button and choose Save to Files. If your landlord uses a signing service such as DocuSign, follow its link instead; it walks you through every field and you do not need anything else.
If the lease is on paper, scan every page into one PDF. SignSnap has a scanner that finds the page edges and straightens them, and the Notes app can scan documents too. Scan in good light on a dark table so the edges are clear.
Step 2: Read it before you write anything
A phone screen makes it easy to skim. Zoom in and check the parts that cost money later:
- Rent, the due date, the late fee and how you pay
- Security deposit, what it covers and when it comes back
- Start date, end date and what happens at the end (renewal or month to month)
- Breaking the lease early: notice and fees
- Pets, guests, parking and subletting rules
- Which utilities you pay and who handles repairs
- Every name spelled correctly, including yours
Step 3: Fill in the blanks
- Open the PDF in the Files app and tap the Markup button (a pen tip inside a circle).
- If the lease has form fields, tap a field and type. Recent versions of iOS can offer your name, address and phone number from your contact card; check each suggestion before you accept it.
- For blanks that are just lines on the page, tap the plus button, choose Add Text, then drag the text box onto the line and type.
- Tap Done to save.
Step 4: Initial and sign
Many leases ask for initials on every page or beside certain clauses, and a full signature with the date at the end. Count them before you start so none get missed.
In Markup, save a second signature that is just your initials (plus button, Add Signature), then add it on each page that asks for it, and add your full signature last. Add the date with a text box.
If you scanned a paper lease or only need the final signature, SignSnap does that part in a few taps: draw, type or photograph your signature, place it on the line, pinch to resize, and tap Date to stamp today's date. SignSnap places one signature per signing, so for initials on many pages Markup is quicker.
Step 5: Send it back and keep a copy
Scroll through every page once more, then tap the share button and send the PDF back by Mail or Messages. Keep the signed copy in a Files folder you will find again, and ask for a copy signed by the landlord too, since that is the version that binds both of you.
In the United States, electronic signatures are generally valid for leases under the federal ESIGN Act and state laws based on UETA. If your landlord asks for ink, print, sign and scan instead. This is general information, not legal advice.
Questions
Can I sign a lease on my iPhone?
Yes. Open the lease PDF in the Files app, tap Markup, then the plus button and Add Signature. Place your signature and initials where the lease asks, tap Done and send the PDF back.
Is a lease signed on a phone legally binding?
In the United States, electronic signatures on leases are generally valid under the ESIGN Act and state laws based on UETA. Ask your landlord if you are unsure, and keep a copy signed by both of you.
How do I type on the lines of a PDF on iPhone?
In Markup, tap the plus button and choose Add Text, then drag the text box onto the line and type. Fillable form fields can be tapped and typed into directly.
What if my landlord gave me a paper lease?
Scan every page into one PDF with a scanner app such as SignSnap or with the Notes app, then fill and sign the PDF and email it back. Ask whether a signed PDF is acceptable first.
How do I add the date to my signature?
In Markup, add a text box with the date beside your signature. In SignSnap, tap Date while placing your signature.