Is it ok if an individual on the lease (the tenant) is not present at the lease signing?

Generally, management companies / landlords strongly prefer all lease signers to be present at the lease signing, accompanied by a U.S. driver’s license or passport (and visa).  However, if an individual on a lease cannot attend the lease signing, most situations allow for the lease to be sent over to be signed, notarized and overnighted (using Fedex, USPS, etc.) back to the mgmt co / landlord, minimizing the time between application approval and lease signing.

Two Copies Of The Lease
Each tenant and guarantor (if applicable) must sign two copies of the lease, one for the tenant(s) and one for the mgmt co / landlord.  Both copies of the lease must have ALL original signatures from each applicable party, so if there are multiple people “out-of-town”, the leases with original signatures should be mailed successively to each individual and signed / notarized accordingly.

Lease Signatures Must Be Notarized If Not Signed On Site
Please note that any leases not signed in front of a representative of the mgmt co / landlord MUST (usually) be notarized by a notary public.  Most local bank branches (and attorney offices) have a notary public on staff to provide this service as a courtesy and require a U.S. driver’s license or passport for identification purposes.  Make sure you sign the leases in front of the notary public as he / she must witness you performing this action (do not sign the documents at home and bring them to the notary after).

Guarantors Signing Leases
When a guarantor is involved in the lease signing process, it is very common for the leases to be emailed (before anyone signs it) or mailed (once it has been signed) to the guarantor as most do not live close enough to NYC to attend the lease signing.  Guarantors should sign copies of the lease (notarized) and overnight back to the mgmt co / landlord or any remaining individuals who need to sign.