A lease renewal agreement is a written contract that continues an existing lease agreement after its term ends. It can keep the same terms or change items such as the rent, the house rules and repairs. FormsPal’s free lease renewal agreement template works for both commercial and residential lease renewals, and you can fill it out online or download it as a PDF.
Last Updated: October 2026. This guide is reviewed and updated regularly to reflect current law. If you notice an error or outdated information, please contact us.
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Contracts do not need to be renewed all the time. The landlord and tenant can, in fact, simply write a new lease. However, this will involve a lengthy process and several rounds of revision. Renewing a lease is the simpler solution if:
Simply using lease renewal agreements can definitely save time and effort, especially if you are merely continuing the majority of the provisions in the current lease.
Once a rental contract expires, both the tenant and landlord must renew the lease using a lease agreement. Without this document, either party can be prone to confusion, arguments, and financial losses.
Another glaring consequence of not using a lease renewal agreement is the contract’s automatic conversion into a “month-to-month” lease agreement. In this type of set-up, the provisions, payment, and rules may change periodically.
This will leave the tenant at a disadvantage because he or she may:
The landlord, on the other hand, can negotiate high rates, but will need to:
To dodge this dilemma, both the tenant and the landlord may use the lease renewal agreement available below. Not only will this save time and money, but it will also put you at ease knowing that both parties will keep their word based on the original contract and not on a tricky month-to-month lease agreement.
A lease renewal is often associated with an extension. However, these two are completely different. A lease renewal is regarded as a new contract wherein you may negotiate the monthly rent amount and change some rules. It is simply a new lease based on the old one.
A lease extension, on the other hand, will only change the expiration date of the contract without touching anything else. Landlords may even extend the contract up to an entire year.
A quick way to compare the two:
Depending on your needs, you may choose from either of the above options. However, renewing your lease is the better option, since it allows changes to be made. If you simply want to use a lease extension, the monthly rent will not rise and updated rules cannot be legally binding.
Tip: Before you choose, list what you want to change. A new end date alone points to an extension, while a change in rent or rules points to a renewal.
The FormsPal Lease Renewal Agreement is a two-page fillable PDF template that a landlord and a tenant use to continue an existing lease. It has 28 fillable fields and is also known as a renewal of lease agreement or a residential lease renewal.
| Document Name | Lease Renewal Agreement Form |
| Other Names | Renewal of Lease Agreement, Residential Lease Renewal |
| Avg. Time to Fill Out | 9 minutes |
| # of Fillable Fields | 28 |
| Available Formats | Adobe PDF |
Download the PDF from this page, or select Create My Document to fill it out online. The steps below follow the FormsPal template in the order its parts appear on the two pages. Each screenshot shows sample entries only.
The screenshots under each step show the FormsPal Lease Renewal Agreement template filled with sample entries in blue, so you can see where each answer goes. The names, addresses, dates and amounts are examples only.
Opening paragraph: Effective Date, Landlord and Tenant. On page 1, type the Effective Date, the Landlord’s name and the Tenant’s name in the first paragraph. Use the full name of each party. The Effective Date is the day the renewal starts, which can differ from the day you sign.
Recitals: the original Lease and the Premises. Enter the date of the existing Lease Agreement, then the address of the Premises across the two “located at” lines. Copy both from the current lease.
Blanks 5 to 6: Input the complete address of the real estate property or unit (including the floor, house number, street name, county/city, state, and zip code).
You may refer to the existing lease agreement for this.
2. Lease Term: Select Choice. Check one of the four boxes: month-to-month, a number of months, a number of years, or a termination date. Fill in the blank that belongs to the box you checked.
3. Amendments to Lease. Write each change to the existing lease on the lines under item 3, which continue on page 2. If nothing changes, leave the lines empty.
If the landlord or the tenant asks for changes to the existing lease, add them here.
The updated terms of the lease must be written as clearly and as detailed as possible to prevent any holes in the new agreement.
5. No Defaults. On the line in item 5, list any defaults, or write N/A if there are none.
It is best to consult a lawyer or any legal counsel if defaults will be revised as this will affect the entire contract.
Landlord signature block: By, Its, Name. Under Landlord, sign on the By line, enter the title on the Its line and print the name on the Name line.
Tenant signature block: By, Its, Name. Under Tenant, sign on the By line, enter the title on the Its line and print the name on the Name line.
Make sure that both the landlord and the tenant have signed on all pages of the document.
Note: Keep the original lease next to you while you fill in the names, dates and address, so every entry matches.
These steps cover what happens around the form, from the first conversation with the other party to the signed copy in both hands. Work through them in order, and start with a short talk before any drafting begins.
Step 1— Notify the other party.
Since you have already established a good landlord-tenant relationship, it is best to talk with the other party before drafting an agreement. The reason for this is because the landlord or the tenant may prefer a different approach to the renewal. They may opt for a simple extension, an entirely different agreement, or the lease renewal agreement on this page.
This notice can be done either verbally or in writing depending on what you prefer. To renew a lease, you may also send a lease renewal letter stating your intent. Make sure you add your updated contact information so that the other party can reach you to discuss. Lastly, this letter must be sent at least 30 to 60 days before the existing contract expires to give you ample time to draft the new formal agreement.
Step 2— Agree on the terms.
If the tenant or the landlord gives the go-signal to proceed with the lease renewal, you may use the template on this page. Make sure to fill out all the necessary information before sending the lease renewal form to the landlord or the tenant.
Alternatively, the tenant and the landlord may meet up to discuss, write, and sign the new agreement. In such a case, there is no need for a lease renewal letter. The landlord and the tenant may directly draft the renewal agreement.
Step 3— Send the document.
After undergoing negotiations and revisions, you may send the finalized lease renewal form to the other party for them to sign. Make sure to prepare copies, since both the landlord and the tenant must have a copy of the final document. Make an extra one for notarization.
If the signatory to the contract lives in a different city or state, you may send the contract via mail. It is crucial to have the original signature of both the landlord and tenant on all the copies.
Step 4— Notarize the document
Lastly, the landlord will be filing the agreement. Just like the original agreement, notarization is a must for documentation purposes. This also ensures that all the conditions set forth on paper become legally binding. However, there is no need to notarize the lease renewal letter that states your intent. Only notarize once the actual lease renewal agreement is finalized and fully signed.
All of these must be done before the current lease expires so that there will be no gap between the two agreements and there will be no breach of the lease terms if ever the tenant stays on the premises past the expiry.
Renewing a lease does not need to be complicated, though you may end up using both a lease renewal letter and formal agreement. To renew the lease, both parties must finalize the new lease agreements before the old lease expires. Use FormsPal’s free template to simplify this process.
A lease renewal agreement is a written document that continues an existing lease after its term ends. It can keep the old terms or update items such as the rent, the house rules and repairs.
A lease renewal works like a new contract based on the old lease, so you can talk about the rent and change some rules. A lease extension only moves the end date and leaves everything else as it was.
Yes. The template is written for both commercial and residential lease renewals. It only refers to the Landlord, the Tenant and the Premises, so it fits either type of property.
The details table lists an average of 9 minutes. The PDF has 28 fillable fields, so keep the original lease nearby for the dates and the address.
Yes. Select Create My Document to answer a few questions and build the agreement online. You can also download the PDF and complete it with the FormsPal PDF editor.
Item 2 of the template lets you check one of four options:
General information, not legal or tax advice.
