What this letter is, and what it is not
A non-renewal letter ends a lease on its own schedule. It is not an eviction notice and it is not a notice to quit for a breach. Those are different documents with their own rules. If the reason you are not renewing is a lease violation, talk to your counsel about which document you actually need.
The decision usually comes from the owner: they are selling, moving in, renovating, or do not want to renew this resident. Get that decision in writing before you draft anything. "The owner said on the phone" is a hard thing to show later.
The checks that matter most here
This letter carries more legal weight than most of what you send, and the rules differ from place to place more than people expect.
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| The notice period | Set by the lease and by state or local law. Some places require a longer period for long-term residents |
| Whether you need a reason | Some cities and states limit non-renewal to listed reasons. Others do not |
| Required wording or delivery | Some places specify what the notice must say and how it is served |
| Timing against recent events | A non-renewal soon after a complaint, a repair request or a dispute can look like retaliation |
| Consistency | Your reasons and process should match how you have handled every other resident |
We are not listing state or city rules here because we will not print one we have not sourced, and they change. Get the rule for every place you manage, in writing, from your counsel, and keep it with your template.
This is a working template, not legal advice. Notice periods, fee limits and required wording depend on your lease and on state and local law. Check yours with your own counsel before using it.
The template
Notice of non-renewal of lease: [address], unit [unit]
To: [resident names on the lease]
Date of this notice: [date]
Your lease for [address], unit [unit], ends on [lease end date]. This letter is notice that the lease will not be renewed, and that you will need to move out by [time] on [lease end date].
[Reason line, only if your counsel says to include one.]
Before you leave, we will contact you about a move-out inspection. Your security deposit will be handled as set out in your lease and the law, and we will send it, with any itemised deductions, to the forwarding address you give us.
Please send your forwarding address to [role] at [contact]. If you have questions about this notice, contact them by [date].
[Firm name], managing agent for the owner
Keep it short and keep it factual. Every extra sentence is one more thing that can be read the wrong way. Warmth goes in how the move-out is handled, not in apologies in the letter.
Timing it
Working back from the lease end date
Missing the window does not usually end the problem. It often means the lease continues on terms you did not choose.
Pull the lease expiration report monthly and decide renew or not for anything ending in the next few months, whichever is longer than your longest notice period. The same report drives your renewal offers, so you are reading it once for both jobs.
When the resident replies
They ask why
Answer the way your counsel told you to, and the same way for everyone. If you are not required to give a reason, a neutral line is fine.
Hi [first name], the owner has decided not to renew the lease when it ends on [date]. We will help make the move-out as smooth as we can. Could you send us your forwarding address and a few dates that work for the move-out inspection?
They ask for more time
That is the owner's decision, not yours. Take the request to the owner the same day with the date they asked for, and put the answer in writing either way.
They say this is because of a complaint
Do not argue it in writing. Stop and call your counsel before you reply.
Use AI for the tracking, not the decision
The part of this job that goes wrong is a date nobody looked at. AI is good at reading a lease expiration report and saying what is due when. Put your notice periods per property and the template in a ChatGPT or Claude Project, attach the report, and send:
Using the notice periods in this Project, list every lease in the attached report that ends in the next [months]. For each one, give the lease end date, the last date a non-renewal or renewal notice can be sent, and the days left. Sort by days left. If a property has no notice period in the Project, write NEEDS A HUMAN. Do not draft any letters and do not suggest which leases to end.The decision and the reason stay with the owner and your counsel.
Before the letter goes out
- The owner's decision is in writing.
- The notice period for this property is met, counted from how it will be delivered.
- Counsel has confirmed whether a reason is needed and what wording is required.
- Nothing about the timing could read as a response to a complaint or request.
- The names, unit and end date match the current lease.
- A copy and the delivery record are filed.
Questions
What is a non-renewal letter?
A written notice that a lease will end on its end date and will not be renewed. It is not an eviction notice, which is a different document with its own rules.
How much notice do I need to give for non-renewal?
It depends on your lease and the state or city where the property is. Some places require more notice for longer tenancies. Get the rule for each property from your counsel.
Do I have to give a reason for not renewing a lease?
In some places, yes, and only certain reasons are allowed. In others, no. Ask your counsel for each place you manage.
What if the resident asks to stay longer?
Take the request to the owner the same day and put the answer in writing, whatever it is.