Lease Renewal Checklist

Pull the executed lease and any addenda from the tenant file in AppFolio, Buildium, or Yardi. Confirm the expiration date, current rent, escalation clause, and any prior renewal addenda. Month-to-month conversions and unsigned prior renewals are common gotchas at this step.

Pull 3-5 comparable units within a one-mile radius from Zillow, Apartments.com, and the firm's own portfolio. Note the asking rent, square footage, bed/bath count, and any concessions advertised. Attach the comp sheet so the renewal offer can defend the new rate to the owner and to the tenant.

Pull the full ledger: NSFs, late fees, partial payments, prior notices to cure, and any open balances. A tenant with three or more late payments in the past 12 months changes the renewal decision — the owner may prefer non-renewal even at the cost of vacancy.

State law dictates the minimum notice for non-renewal or rate change — commonly 30, 60, or 90 days (CA requires 60 days for rent increases over 10%; many cities require 90). Send the notice via the lease-required method (certified mail, posted, or e-delivery) and log the date served. Missing the window can void the rate change for the next term.

Open the conversation about outstanding maintenance, ESA or service-animal accommodations, and any unit-modification requests. Document accommodation requests in the tenant file — Fair Housing Act requires a documented interactive process, not a verbal yes/no.

A directional yes/no/maybe drives whether marketing prep starts now or waits. If the tenant signals likely non-renewal, kick off the make-ready calendar in parallel — vacant days are the largest cost in a turnover.

Anchor the new rent to the comp analysis and the owner's hold strategy. In rent-controlled jurisdictions (NYC, LA, SF, Berkeley, Oakland, AB 1482 statewide CA cap), confirm the maximum allowable increase before quoting. Offer 6, 12, and 18-month terms when the owner's plan supports it — longer terms reduce vacancy risk; shorter terms preserve rate flexibility.

Send the offer in writing with the new rent, term options, response deadline, and any concessions (one month free, free covered parking, waived pet rent for renewing tenants). Include the FHA equal-housing footer and any state-required disclosures that change at renewal.

Capture the decision in writing — email, signed acknowledgement, or recorded phone confirmation. A verbal yes that's later disputed leaves the unit in limbo past the notice deadline. The decision drives whether the renewal documentation runs or the turnover workflow kicks off.

Give the tenant the state-required entry notice (typically 24-48 hours). Use HappyCo or zInspector on a phone or tablet so the inspection is timestamped and photo-anchored.

Press-test every detector, replace batteries, and log the test in the tenant file. A non-working detector is a habitability defense that can defeat any future eviction or non-renewal — and most states require working detectors at every lease change.

Open work orders for any habitability items (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, pest) before the renewal signs — once the tenant signs into the new term, deferred items become disputes. Cosmetic items (paint touch-up, blind replacement) can roll to the next vacancy.

Use the NAA state-specific form or your firm's attorney-reviewed renewal template. Side-of-paper handwritten amendments are a common reason renewals fail to enforce in court — do all changes in the form.

Re-execute disclosures that attach per renewal: federal lead-paint disclosure for pre-1978 buildings, mold disclosure where state requires, bedbug history (NYC), and any new local disclosures since the original lease (CA balcony EEE inspection, source-of-income notices). Missing the lead-paint form on a pre-1978 property triggers per-violation HUD/EPA penalties.

Route through DocuSign, AppFolio e-sign, or Buildium e-sign. All co-signers and guarantors on the original lease must re-sign — a renewal signed by only one of two named tenants is unenforceable against the non-signing party.

If the tenant declined the renewal, send a written confirmation of the move-out date, the security deposit return process, and the state-required deposit timing window (commonly 14-30 days). Open the turnover checklist so make-ready vendors can be scheduled against the vacate date.

Schedule the new rent in the PMS so the next billing cycle posts at the renewed rate. Confirm any auto-pay tenants are notified of the change at least 30 days in advance — ACH pulls at the old rate after a renewal effective date are a frequent owner-statement dispute.

File the signed renewal, refreshed disclosures, comp analysis, and inspection findings in the tenant file. Retention is governed by state law and FCRA — typically 3-7 years post-tenancy. The file should be complete enough that a different manager could pick up the tenancy without context.