Editorial policy
This policy explains how MakeLease researches, writes, labels, dates and corrects the legal, tax and product information on make.lease. In short: every legal or tax fact links to a primary source, review labels say exactly who checked a page, and dates change only when the content does.
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How we research
We start from primary sources, meaning the text of the law or the agency that administers it:
- state statutes and codes on official state legislature websites;
- government agency pages, such as HUD for fair housing, the IRS for rental tax rules, the EPA for lead-based paint disclosure, and state attorneys general for tenant and landlord guides;
- court rules and official court self-help pages where a procedure is set by the courts.
Secondary sources such as legal publishers, bar association guides and news coverage are used only to cross-check our reading or to spot a recent change. They are never the sole basis for a legal or tax fact.
Every legal or tax fact we publish is cited with a link to its source. Next to the citation we show a "last verified" date: the date someone on our team last read that source text and confirmed the fact still matches it.
Use of AI tools
Research for our pages may be assisted by AI tools, for example to locate the relevant statute sections, summarize long statutory text or draft a first version of a page. AI output is never published as fact without a citation to an official source that supports it.
Each fact also carries a review status that records whether a person on our team has confirmed it against the cited source (see below). Neither AI research nor our team's check is attorney review, and we do not describe either one as such.
Review labels and what they mean
Pages with legal information carry one of two review labels, shown exactly as written here:
“Researched and cited by MakeLease · not yet attorney-reviewed”
The page was researched and written by MakeLease, and each fact cites an official source with a last-verified date. No attorney has reviewed it. This is the default label for our state-law pages.
“Reviewed by” a named person
Shown as "Reviewed by name, credential". A named, qualified person (for example, an attorney licensed in that state) reviewed the page and the facts on it. The label gives their real name and credential, and it shows the date of their review. If the page changes substantively after that review, the label goes back to "not yet attorney-reviewed" until the reviewer checks the new version.
Review status of state-law data
Behind each state-law page is a review status. In plain words:
- Researched with AI assistance: facts were gathered with the help of AI tools and cited to official sources. The page is labeled "not yet attorney-reviewed."
- Verified by our team: a person on our team read each cited source and confirmed the facts. The page is still labeled "not yet attorney-reviewed."
- Attorney-reviewed: a named attorney reviewed the page. Only then does it carry a "Reviewed by" label.
We publish a state's page only when every required fact that states a rule cites an official source, and every page shows its label so you can see which of these applies.
Fact statuses
Individual facts are marked by where the rule comes from:
- Statute: the rule is in the state's statutes or code, and we cite the section.
- Case law: the rule comes from court decisions rather than a statute, and we cite the decision or an official summary.
- No statewide statute: we found no state law setting a rule on this point (for example, no statewide cap on late fees). That does not mean anything is allowed; general contract law, court decisions and local rules can still apply.
- Local rules apply: the state leaves this point to cities or counties, so the answer depends on where the property is. Check your city or county code.
- Not yet researched: we have not confirmed this fact, so we do not state a rule for it.
Dates
"Last updated" and "last verified" dates change only when we make a substantive change, such as a corrected fact, a new law reflected on the page, or a re-check of the cited source. Fixing a typo or changing the page design does not change the date.
We never refresh dates to make a page look newer than its content is.
How often we re-check
State-law pages are re-checked when a legislature changes a law we cover, and on a periodic review of every published state. When a new law has a known effective date, we note that date on the page; we do not promise review dates beyond that.
Corrections
If you think something on make.lease is wrong or out of date, email help@make.lease with the subject "Report an error". Include the page address and, if you can, a link to the source that shows the correct rule.
We aim to respond within 48 hours. When we confirm an error, we correct the page, update its date, and note significant corrections on the page itself so readers can see what changed.
Comparison pages
MakeLease makes a lease generator, so on our comparison pages we are comparing other products with our own. We disclose that on every comparison page.
- Each competitor fact, such as a price or a feature, links to its source.
- Prices and features are dated "as of" the day we checked them.
- We re-verify competitor facts monthly.
- Competitors can request a correction the same way as anyone else, by emailing help@make.lease, and the same 48-hour response target applies.
Advertising and independence
We do not accept paid placements, and our content does not contain affiliate links today. If that changes, we will disclose it on each page where it applies.
Our legal information is not shaped by what we sell. If the law in your state means you need a document or step that MakeLease does not provide, our pages say so. For how our free features work, see pricing; for the limits of our content, see the legal disclaimer.