Renewing or ending a fixed-term lease (CPA)

Under the Consumer Protection Act, the owner must remind the tenant that the lease is ending 40 to 80 business days before the end date, and say what will happen. If nobody does anything, the lease carries on month to month.

A tenant may cancel a fixed-term lease early with 20 business days’ written notice, and pay a reasonable cancellation penalty if the lease provides for one. A fixed term can’t be longer than 24 months, unless a longer term clearly benefits the tenant.

Strictly, the CPA covers owners who let in the ordinary course of business. Porchlight follows these rules for every lease, because it’s the fair and safe default.