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Renewing Your Lease

When your current lease ends, you may have the option to renew it. Remember that this is an entirely new agreement between you and your landlord — so review the new lease agreement and make sure you understand it before signing.

Review any changes

In some cases, there may be significant differences between your previous lease agreement and the renewal. Compare the new lease to your existing lease to see what changed.

Common changes include:

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Rent amount

If the required rent payment changes, it’s likely to be increased. Make sure you can afford the new rent price every month plus utilities and other expenses.

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Lease period

The length of the lease may change. For example, if you were on a six-month lease, the new one may be for one year.

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Fees

A landlord may charge new fees or change existing fees. Compare the fees in your new lease to make sure there are no surprises.

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Rules

There may be new building rules that weren’t previously in place.

Understand your options

If you don’t want to renew for another full lease period, talk to your landlord about other potential options:

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Shorter lease or month-to-month

Some landlords allow you to rent without a long-term agreement. This can be helpful when you’re bridging a gap between different housing situations. However, your landlord may charge a higher rent in exchange for a shorter lease term — especially for a month-to-month tenancy, which can be ended by either party with 30 days’ notice.

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Move out

If you choose to not renew your lease, remember that moving out often involves additional costs, like moving expenses and cleaning fees. If you’re moving into another rental, be sure to factor up-front costs — like application fees and security deposits — into your budget.

Renter tip

If you know you’ll be moving out, it’s important to let your landlord know well ahead of time. Your lease may have renewal notice requirements — and if the requirements aren’t met, you may be charged a fee.

Know your rights

In some states and cities, renters are protected by “just cause” or “good cause” eviction laws that prevent landlords from evicting or not renewing a renter’s lease for arbitrary, retaliatory, or discriminatory reasons. These laws state that landlords can only evict or not renew a renter’s lease if there is a valid, approved reason for doing so under the applicable statute.

Know your rights

Examples of just cause for not renewing a lease may include:

  • Failure to pay rent
  • Material lease violations
  • Criminal activity
  • Property being withdrawn from the rental market
  • Property undergoing substantial renovation

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