Lease Renewal Agreement

What this document is

When a lease reaches its end date and both sides want to continue, something has to say so in writing. A lease renewal agreement extends the existing tenancy for a new fixed term — same property, same parties — while confirming the rent for the new period, any changes to terms, and that the original deposit carries over. It usually runs one or two pages, leaning on the original lease rather than repeating it.

Without a renewal, many tenancies drift into an undefined month-to-month state where nobody is sure what notice applies or which terms still bind — and the default rules for that situation vary by country. Drifting works until it does not: a sudden rent increase, a quick termination, a deposit nobody can tie to a live agreement. A one-page renewal keeps the paper matched to reality.

When to use it

• The fixed term is ending within the next month or two and both sides want another year.
• The rent is changing at renewal and the new amount needs recording against a new term.
• The original lease has expired and the tenant is still there — better a late renewal than a drifting tenancy.
• Terms need small updates at renewal, like a new payment method or an added occupant.
• The deposit from the original lease should explicitly carry over to the new term.

When not to use it

• The parties or the property are changing — a new tenant or a different unit needs a fresh lease, not a renewal.
• Major changes that touch most of the lease — at that point rewriting the lease is cleaner and safer.
• The relationship is ending or in dispute — use a termination notice and a proper move-out process instead.

Information you will need

• Reference to the original lease: parties, property, and its start date
• New term start and end dates
• Rent for the new term and whether it changed
• Confirmation the security deposit carries over, and its amount
• Any terms being changed, stated specifically
• Confirmation that all other original terms continue to apply
• Both parties' signatures and the date of signing

Clauses included

How to sign it

Both parties sign two copies, and each files the renewal together with the original lease — the two documents only make sense as a pair. Signing before the old term expires keeps the tenancy continuous, with no ambiguous gap.

If the deposit carries over, say so in writing rather than assuming it; the deposit receipt, the original lease, and the renewal should tell one consistent story. Update the rent payment schedule for the new term at the same time.

Common mistakes

• Letting the lease lapse and renewing months later, leaving a gap where nobody can say which terms applied.
• Raising the rent by message without putting the new figure in the renewal, so the paper still shows the old amount.
• Forgetting the deposit — a renewal that never mentions it leaves the old receipt pointing at an expired agreement.
• Adding a new occupant informally instead of naming them in the document.
• Signing a renewal that contradicts the original lease without saying which document wins — state that the renewal prevails for anything it changes.

Frequently asked questions