Multifamily landlords have a unique opportunity to use green leases as a tool to help meet their building goals while also engaging residents. This roadmap:
- Builds on top of the sustainability resources already available and widely used in the residential space, such as the National Apartment Association’s Sustainable Living Addendum
- Provides multifamily landlords with relevant clauses to apply for Green Lease Leaders recognition
You will need to review each clause to determine if it is applicable to your specific situation. The language below are clauses commonly utilized by Green Lease Leaders multifamily landlords. The clauses can be integrated into your existing lease language or packaged into an addendum to your standard lease materials. For more information about the Green Lease Leaders recognition requirements, please see the Landlord Reference Guide.
Most Utilized Green Lease Clauses and Corresponding Prerequisite/Credit
If your company uses all the green lease clauses below, it may be eligible for Green Lease Leaders recognition.
| Most Utilized Green Lease Clause | Corresponding Green Lease Leaders Landlord Prerequisite or Credit |
|---|---|
| Sustainability contact* | Prerequisite 1 |
| Implement energy efficiency improvements during unit turns | Prerequisite 2b |
| Track common area energy use, at minimum | Credit 1 |
| Track common area water use, at minimum | Credit 2 |
| Disclose energy performance to resident annually | Credit 4 |
| Disclose water performance to resident annually | Credit 5 |
| Resident data sharing & energy transparency | Credit 12 |
Most Common Green Lease Clauses
Sustainability contact*
*If “sustainability” doesn’t resonate, other options include “energy efficiency”, “utility efficiency”, or “efficiency & wellness”
Corresponding Green Lease Leaders Landlord Prerequisite or Credit: Prerequisite 1
Intent
Providing this information ensures that residents are able to learn about and participate in sustainability initiatives at the property.
Sample clause:
Landlord contact to discuss topics or questions related to sustainability:
Email:
Phone:
Implement energy efficiency improvements during unit turns
Corresponding Green Lease Leaders Landlord Prerequisite or Credit: Prerequisite 2b
Intent
Multifamily landlords have an opportunity to implement efficiency upgrades when units are vacant between residents. To meet Green Lease Leaders recognition requirements, there must be at least 8 efficiency measures implemented or reviewed during unit turnover. The unit turnover efficiency measures can be incorporated into lease language or companies can also provide their unit turnover checklist. For a specific list of measures, please see Prerequisite 2b in the Landlord Reference Guide. Providing transparency to these measures helps demonstrate to new/existing residents that you are committed to creating healthy and efficient homes for them.
Sample clause:
[Company] is dedicated to ensuring our units are well maintained, comfortable, and efficient. To learn more about how we prepare each unit, please see [website link].
Track common area energy use, at minimum
Corresponding Green Lease Leaders Landlord Prerequisite or Credit: Credit 1
Intent
Tracking energy use is the first step towards managing energy performance and reducing waste. After all, you can’t manage what you don’t measure. Energy tracking allows landlords to manage consumption over time and to evaluate the effectiveness of energy improvements in areas often under their control. For Green Lease Leaders, this credit is tied to our requirements that the landlord collect whole building energy data whenever feasible. For multifamily landlords. This means tracking common area energy data at a minimum.
Sample clause:
[Company decarbonization goals]. To achieve our sustainability goals/keep costs low, we are committed to tracking the energy and water data on a monthly basis for spaces we control and to collaborating with the resident to obtain as much whole building data as feasible. We will benchmark this information and provide residents with performance information, such as the building’s ENERGY STAR® score, where applicable.
Track common area water use, at minimum
Corresponding Green Lease Leaders Landlord Prerequisite or Credit: Credit 2
Intent
Tracking water use across the portfolio enables both residents and landlords to understand consumption patterns, identify water-saving opportunities, and evaluate the effects of water-saving measures. For Green Lease Leaders, this credit is tied to the landlord collecting whole building water data whenever feasible. For multifamily landlords, this means tracking common area water at a minimum.
Sample clause:
[Company decarbonization goals]. To achieve our sustainability goals/keep costs low, we are committed to tracking the energy and water data on a monthly basis for spaces we control and collaborating with the resident to obtain as much whole building data as feasible. We will benchmark this information and provide residents with performance information, such as the building’s ENERGY STAR® score where applicable.
Disclose energy performance to resident annually
Corresponding Green Lease Leaders Landlord Prerequisite or Credit: Credit 4
Intent
Energy performance transparency enables landlords to identify energy concerns and opportunities for savings, and to develop any needed education programs for residents.
Sample clause:
Landlord shall provide resident with the building’s ENERGY STAR® score and ENERGY STAR® energy score annually, at a minimum.
Disclose water performance to resident annually
Corresponding Green Lease Leaders Landlord Prerequisite or Credit: Credit 5
Intent
Water performance visibility allows landlords to engage and educate residents on sustainability issues at the property and establish more communication between landlord and resident.
Sample clause:
Landlord shall provide resident with the building’s ENERGY STAR® score and ENERGY STAR® water score annually, at a minimum.
Resident data sharing & energy transparency
Corresponding Green Lease Leaders Landlord Prerequisite or Credit: Credit 12
Intent
The goal of this language is to engage the resident on energy data transparency and ask for access to the resident’s utility data. This can include getting the resident’s permission to include their data in aggregate whole building data provided by the local utility. The utility may require a separate permission form for residents to complete in order to have their data included in the aggregate whole building data. We recommend that the form be a part of your leasing materials package.
Sample clause:
If requested by landlord, resident shall provide utility data, as feasible, for inclusion in landlord’s annual reports, ENERGY STAR® annual rating and similar purposes.