Free Templates

Free Lease Renewal Letter Template

Keeping a good tenant is the cheapest deal in property management — no vacancy, no turnover costs, no re-screening. The renewal letter is how that deal gets made on time and in writing. Use the template below, free.

The Renewal Timeline That Works

90 days out: decide. Check the market rent, the tenant's payment history on the rent ledger, and whether you want to renew at all.
60–90 days out: send the offer — new term, new rent, response deadline. If the rent is increasing, confirm your state's notice window and send a formal rent increase notice where required.
30–45 days out: get signatures or list the unit. Acceptance means a signed renewal addendum or fresh lease agreement; a decline means the tenant's notice to vacate and your marketing clock starting.

The Template

Print this page or copy the letter and replace the blanks.

Lease Renewal Offer

Date: ____________________

To (tenant(s)): _______________________________________________

From (landlord / property manager): _______________________________________________

Rental property address / unit: _______________________________________________

Your current lease ends on ______________. We value you as a tenant and would like to offer a renewal on the following terms:

New lease term: ______________ to ______________
Monthly rent for the new term: $__________ (currently $__________)
Other changes to lease terms (if any): ____________________________________

All other terms of your current lease remain the same. Please respond in writing by ______________. If you wish to renew, we will prepare the renewal for signature. If you do not plan to renew, please provide written notice of your move-out date as your lease requires.

If we do not hear from you by the date above, the lease will __________________________ (e.g., “convert to month-to-month at $____/month” or “end on its expiration date”).

Landlord / agent signature:

_______________________________

Date signed:

_______________________________

Renewal Tips for Landlords

Price retention against turnover. A vacancy typically costs a month of rent plus make-ready expenses — often more than the increase you're debating. Keeping a proven payer at a modest bump usually beats chasing top-of-market with a stranger.
State the default outcome. The letter's “if we don't hear from you” line prevents the silent slide into an unplanned holdover.
Get the renewal signed, not just agreed. A verbal “yeah I'll stay” is a month-to-month tenancy wearing a costume. Signature or it didn't happen.
Never be surprised by an expiration. The renewals you miss are the ones you didn't see coming — lease management software that shows every end date months out is how this letter goes out on time, every time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a lease renewal letter?

A lease renewal letter is the landlord's written offer to extend a tenancy past the current lease's end date — stating the proposed new term, the rent (unchanged or increased), any updated terms, and a deadline to respond. Once the tenant accepts in writing (usually by signing a renewal addendum or a fresh lease), the tenancy continues on the new terms instead of expiring or rolling month-to-month.

How far in advance should a landlord send a renewal offer?

60-90 days before the lease ends is the working standard. It leaves the tenant time to decide, leaves you time to advertise the unit if they decline, and clears any statutory notice period a rent increase requires (30-90 days depending on the state and the size of the increase). Waiting until the final month converts a routine renewal into a scramble.

What happens if a lease expires without a renewal?

In most states the tenancy rolls into a month-to-month arrangement on the old lease's terms (a "holdover" tenancy), terminable by either side with standard notice. That's not catastrophic, but it's usually lost ground for the landlord: no locked-in term, no updated rent, and a tenant who can leave on 30 days' notice in peak or off season alike.

Can rent be increased at renewal?

Renewal is exactly when rent changes — a landlord generally can't raise rent mid-term, but a new term can carry a new rate, subject to state/local notice requirements and any rent-control caps. Put the new rent in the renewal letter itself, and where law requires a separate formal notice of increase, send that too. Tenants: a renewal offer above market is an invitation to negotiate, not a verdict.

Does a tenant have to accept a renewal offer?

No — a renewal is an offer, not an obligation. A tenant can accept, negotiate the rent or term, or decline and give notice to move out. What tenants shouldn't do is ignore it: an unanswered offer usually means either a holdover month-to-month at the landlord's discretion or, in some leases, automatic renewal or required move-out. Respond in writing before the stated deadline either way.

This template and guide are general information, not legal advice. Renewal and rent-increase notice requirements vary by state and city — confirm your local rules before sending.

See Every Renewal Coming

With Kelpic®, every lease's end date, rent, and payment history is one login away — so renewal offers go out 90 days early with the numbers to back them up.

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