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Lease renewal agreement template

A lease renewal agreement extends an existing residential lease for a new fixed term and records the rent for that term, leaving the rest of the lease as it is. This template is for a landlord or property manager renewing with the same tenant in the same home.

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Signed by
Landlord and Tenant
Sections
8
Blanks to fill in
10
Formats
Word, PDF, e-signature
Last reviewed

What is a lease renewal agreement, and why does it matter?

A lease renewal agreement is a short document, signed by the landlord and the tenant, that extends a lease that is about to end. It does not repeat the lease. It names it, sets the new start and end dates and the rent, lists anything else that changes, and says that everything else carries on as before.

It matters because of what happens without one. When a fixed term ends and the tenant stays, most tenancies carry on from month to month. That suits some landlords and tenants, but it means either side can usually end the tenancy on short notice, and the rent can change on short notice too. A renewal gives both sides another fixed period: the tenant knows the rent and has the home until the new end date, and the landlord knows the home is let.

A renewal is still subject to the law on tenancies. Rules on notice of rent increases, limits on increases, limits on deposits and, in some places, the tenant's right to stay apply to a renewal as they do to a new lease. The notes beside each section say where those rules come in.

When to use this template

  • A fixed-term lease is about to end and the same tenant is staying in the same home.
  • You want to record the rent for the next term, whether or not it is changing.
  • Only a few terms are changing and the rest of the lease still fits.
  • The tenant has been staying month to month after the lease ended and you both want a fixed term again.

When it is not the right document

  • A change in who the tenants are, such as a roommate leaving or joining. That is usually done with a new lease.
  • A lease that needs substantial rewriting. Sign a new lease instead of a renewal with a long list of changes.
  • Ending a tenancy or declining to renew, which needs the notice your lease and the law call for.
  • A commercial lease, where renewals often turn on option clauses and other terms this template does not have.

The lease renewal agreement template, section by section

The full text is on the left. Beside each section is a plain-language note on what it does and what to decide before you send it. Words in [brackets] are blanks you fill in.

Lease Renewal Agreement

This Lease Renewal Agreement (the "Renewal") is made on [Date of this renewal] between [Landlord's legal name] (the "Landlord") and [Tenant's full name (every tenant on the lease)] (the "Tenant").

The Landlord and the Tenant are the parties to a lease dated [Date of the original lease] (the "Lease") for the home at [Address of the home] (the "Property"). They agree to renew the Lease on the terms of this Renewal.

1. Renewal term

The Lease is renewed for a further term that starts on [First day of the new term] and ends on [Last day of the new term] (the "Renewal Term").

2. Rent for the renewal term

During the Renewal Term the rent is [Monthly rent for the new term] per month. It is due on the same day, and paid in the same way, as under the Lease.

If this is a change in the rent, the new amount applies from the first day of the Renewal Term. Where the law that applies to the Property limits the amount of a rent increase, or requires written notice before one, the increase applies only to the extent, and from the date, that the law allows.

3. Security deposit

The Landlord continues to hold the security deposit paid under the Lease. It stays subject to the Lease and to the law that applies to the Property.

The parties agree to this change in the amount of the deposit: [Change to the security deposit]. Any added deposit is held on the same terms, and the total stays within any limit the law sets.

4. Other changes to the lease

The parties also agree to the following changes to the Lease:

[Other changes to the lease]

5. The rest of the lease continues

Except as changed by this Renewal, all the terms of the Lease, including any addendum to it, stay in effect during the Renewal Term. If this Renewal and the Lease say different things, this Renewal controls. Words defined in the Lease have the same meaning in this Renewal.

Signing this Renewal does not give up any right or claim that either party has under the Lease or the law for something that happened before the Renewal Term, such as unpaid rent or a repair that is still needed.

6. Disclosures

The Landlord will give the Tenant, with this Renewal, any disclosure or notice that the law that applies to the Property requires when a lease is renewed, including any new information the Landlord has about lead-based paint or other hazards at the Property.

7. End of the renewal term

The terms of the Lease about the end of the term, notice, and staying on from month to month apply at the end of the Renewal Term in the same way as they applied at the end of the original term.

8. General terms

This Renewal takes effect when both parties have signed it. If more than one person signed the Lease as Tenant, it takes effect only when each of them has signed. From then on it is part of the Lease.

The law that governs the Lease governs this Renewal.

The parties may sign this Renewal electronically and in separate copies, which together form one agreement.

The Landlord and the Tenant agree to the terms of this Renewal.

Landlord

SignatureDate

Name

Title

Tenant

SignatureDate

Name

Check before you send it

A template cannot know your state, your industry or your deal. These are the points most likely to need a change, and the ones to raise with a lawyer.

  • Rent increase notice. Many states and cities require written notice of an increase a set number of days in advance, sometimes longer for larger increases. Check whether that notice has to go out before the renewal is offered.
  • Rent control. Where rent is regulated, the increase is capped and may have to be offered on an official form or with a choice of term lengths.
  • Just cause and renewal rights. Some states and cities require a landlord to offer a renewal, or allow a tenancy to end only for listed reasons. A tenant there may be entitled to stay without signing a new fixed term.
  • The deposit cap. If you are adding to the deposit, the total usually has to stay within a legal limit tied to the monthly rent.
  • Disclosures. Some disclosures are due again at renewal, and new information about lead-based paint in a home built before 1978 is passed on at this point.
  • Co-signers and co-tenants. Every tenant on the lease should sign. A co-signer's promise for the original term may not cover the new one unless they sign again.

How to send it with SignThis

  1. Fill in the blanks. Choose "Send this for signature". After a short sign-up you are asked for the details: names, dates, amounts. Anything you skip stays a blank line.
  2. Add who signs. Add the Landlord and Tenant, in that order, with their email addresses.
  3. Place the blocks. Detect fields puts signature, date and name blocks on the signing lines. Add a Text block on any blank you want a signer to fill in.
  4. Send. Each person gets a private link and signs in their browser. When the last one signs, everyone receives the sealed PDF and its audit certificate.

To change the wording first, download the Word file, edit it, save it as a PDF and upload that instead.

Questions about the lease renewal agreement template

Is a lease renewal the same as a new lease?

No. A renewal keeps the existing lease and extends it, changing only what the renewal lists. A new lease replaces the old one entirely. A renewal is quicker when little is changing; a new lease is clearer when the tenants, the rules or the law have changed a good deal since the original was signed.

What happens if the lease ends and nobody signs a renewal?

It depends on the lease and the law where the home is. In most cases, if the tenant stays and the landlord accepts rent, the tenancy continues month to month on the same terms. Either side can then usually end it with the notice the lease or the law requires, subject to any just-cause rules that apply.

How much notice does a landlord have to give before raising the rent at renewal?

That is set by state law and sometimes city law, and it varies. Notice periods of 30 to 90 days are common, and some places require longer notice for larger increases. Look up the rule for the home's location and give the notice in the form it requires before sending the renewal.

Do all the tenants have to sign the renewal?

This template says it takes effect only when every person who signed the lease as tenant has signed the renewal. It prints one Tenant signing block, so add each further tenant as a signer and place signing blocks for them in the editor before sending. If one tenant is not staying, use a new lease with the tenants who are.

Can I change the wording?

Yes. The text is a starting point. To change the wording, download the Word file, edit it, save it as a PDF and upload that to send it. If you only need to fill in the blanks, use "Send this for signature", which asks for them first.