Lease renewal agreement template

Renewal, new lease or month to month?

A renewal keeps the original lease and changes only what you list, which suits a tenant staying in the same unit on mostly the same terms. A brand-new lease makes more sense when a lot changes: a new roommate, a different unit, or your updated lease form with new clauses you want everyone on. Doing nothing usually turns the tenancy into a month-to-month one when the term ends, which gives both sides less certainty.

Send renewals 60 to 90 days before the lease ends. That gives the tenant time to decide, and gives you time to meet any notice period for a rent increase or to advertise the unit if they leave.

What the template covers

• The original lease: its date, the address and the current end date, so there's no doubt which lease is renewed.
• The new term: start and end dates, and what happens if nobody gives notice before it ends.
• Rent: the new and current amounts side by side, the due day, and a line that the change follows any notice or cap the law sets.
• Deposit: the amount you already hold, and any top-up with its due date.
• Occupants: who may live there during the new term, and how a departing co-tenant gets released.
• Other changes: anything else in the lease that changes, like a new pet or parking term.
• Repairs and incentives: improvements you've promised and any thank-you, such as a carpet clean or a rent credit.
• Disclosures: a reminder to attach anything the law requires, including updated lead paint information for older homes.
• Everything else stays: the rest of the lease and its addenda remain in force.

Mistakes landlords make at renewal time

• Raising the rent without the required notice. Many states and cities set a minimum notice for increases, and rent-stabilized units have caps. The renewal doesn't replace that notice.
• Forgetting a co-tenant. Everyone on the original lease who's staying signs the renewal; someone leaving needs a written release, or they may still be on the hook.
• Letting a roommate swap happen informally. If a new person is moving in, add them properly, usually with an application and a new lease.
• Leaving the deposit untouched when rent goes up a lot. If you want a larger deposit, say so in the renewal, within your state's limit.
• Assuming a renewal needs no paperwork beyond the signature. For homes built before 1978, federal rules let you skip a new lead disclosure only if you made one before and have learned nothing new.

How to send a renewal with SignMaster

1. 1

   Open the template

   Choose Use this template to save it to your account with the tenant and landlord roles in signing order. Renting to a couple or roommates? Add a role per adult tenant in the template editor, each with a signature field.

2. 2

   Fill in the lease details

   The gray blanks are yours: the original lease date, address, new term, old and new rent, deposit, and any repairs or incentive you're offering.

3. 3

   Send it with a deadline

   Add the tenant's name and email and set a sign-by date a few weeks before the notice deadline. Reminders follow up on their own, and the tenant signs from their phone with no account.

4. 4

   Countersign

   The tenant confirms their contact details, notes any open issue, ticks that they've read the new rent and signs. Then it's your turn.

5. 5

   File it with the lease

   Both of you get the signed PDF with its certificate of completion. Keep it with the original lease, since the two are read together.

Renewing a whole building at once

Property managers often have dozens of leases ending in the same season. Bulk send turns a spreadsheet into one renewal per tenant: columns for the tenant's name and email, plus columns named after the gray blanks, such as Property address, New monthly rent and Renewal term end date. Each tenant sees only their own numbers, and a results file shows who has signed. Save the sheet as CSV UTF-8 if it comes from Excel.