California residential lease agreement: free vs paid
Last updated
As of November 3, 2026, a California residential lease agreement costs $9.95 at SimplePaperwork, filled in from your answers and paid once, while Rocket Lawyer sells documents through a membership of $149 a year after a free 7-day trial. California limits most security deposits to one month’s rent and gives the landlord 21 days after move-out to return the rest with an itemized list.
| Company | What you buy | Price |
|---|---|---|
| SimplePaperwork | Residential Lease Agreement for California, filled in from your answers; free edits from your order link. | $9.95 |
| Rocket Lawyer | Standard membership: unlimited documents and e-signatures, after a free 7-day trial. Source, read Nov 3, 2026 | $149 a year |
| Do it yourself | Official rules and forms from the California State Legislature; you fill them in | $0 in forms |
What the free options do not cover
California law, which sets the rules a lease has to follow, is free to read, but the law is not a lease. The SimplePaperwork lease is filled in from your answers with the California rules listed below, and you can edit it again from your order link. It is not legal advice.
One-time payment at SimplePaperwork. Full refund within 7 days of purchase, no questions asked. Each competitor price comes from that company’s own page, read on the date shown; we do not estimate what a page does not say.
One state-specific document, filled in and ready to sign, with free edits from your order link.