Bad tenants can make a landlord's and property manager’s life very difficult. Bad tenants may pay rent late, may be noisy, destructive, inconsiderate to other tenants and in general cause landlords extra work and frustration. According to Nolo in most cases, a landlord or property manager does not need to have a reason not to renew a tenant. However, if you did not want to renew a lease for a tenant that lives in section 8 housing, you need to contact the local public housing authority to find out their rules regarding not renewing your lease.
Even though in most cases you do not need a reason not to renew a tenant’s lease based on your lease agreement or state and local laws you may need to notify your tenants about a month in advance that you will not be renewing their lease. Notifying them at least a month in advance will give your tenants time to find a new rental unit and prepare to move out.
It is important to note that a landlord or property manager cannot decide not to renew a tenant’s lease as an act of retaliation or based on tenants political or religious views. While it may be hard for a tenant to prove that a landlord acted in retaliation when not renewing a lease if a tenant can prove that the landlord agreed to a lease extension and then reneged the tenant may have a good case that they were a victim of a retaliation action.
Therefore, it is important that landlords and property managers include some documentation in their rental property system that they notified the tenant that they will not be renewing their lease and the steps for the tenant to get their security deposit back at the end of the leasing period.
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Disclaimer: The information provided in this post not intended to be construed as legal advice, nor should it be considered a substitute for obtaining individual legal counsel or consulting your local, state, federal or provincial tenancy laws.