What to put in a lease renewal offer letter

The parts of a renewal offer

A renewal offer works best when a tenant can say yes by reading one page. Include these items, in this order.

1. The unit address and the names of every tenant on the current lease.
2. The current lease end date and the proposed new start and end dates.
3. The new monthly rent, written as a dollar amount, and the date it takes effect.
4. Any other term that changes: pet rules, parking, a utility split, a late fee amount. If nothing else changes, say so in one line.
5. A reply deadline, written as a calendar date, and how to reply (sign online, or reply to the email).
6. What happens if there is no reply: the lease ends on its date, or it continues month to month, whichever your current lease says.

Do not bury a rent increase in a paragraph. Tenants who feel surprised are the ones who leave, and a clear number in the first lines is fairer and faster to answer.

How early to send it

Two clocks run at once. The first is the notice your state requires before a rent increase takes effect. The second is your own need to know whether the unit is staying filled, so you can start marketing it if the answer is no.

State rules differ. In Washington, RCW 59.18.140 says a landlord must give at least 90 days of written notice of a rent increase, and the increase may not take effect before the rental agreement's term ends. In Oregon, ORS 90.323 bars an increase during the first year of a tenancy and otherwise requires at least 90 days of written notice, with no more than one increase in any 12 month period; the notice must state the amount of the increase, the new rent and the effective date.

Many states have shorter periods and some have none for a fixed term lease that is ending. Because a renewal offer with a higher rent is also a rent increase notice in practice, check your state and your city before you set the send date.

Example a made-up lease ends on September 30 in a state with a 60 day rent increase notice rule. The last day to give notice is August 1. If you want a week for the tenant to think and a month to market the unit if they decline, you would send the offer in early June with a reply date in mid June.

What if the tenant does not answer

Silence is a common reply. Decide before you send the offer what silence means and write it down. Some leases turn into month to month tenancies when the term ends and the tenant stays; others say the tenancy ends. Your current lease and your state decide which one applies, so the offer should repeat it and not invent a different outcome.

Send one reminder a few days before the reply date and a second on the day. Keep both in the same email thread so the history is easy to read later.

Keep proof of what you sent

If a tenant later says they never saw the offer, the date and the delivery method are your answer. Keep a copy of the letter as sent, the date, and how it was delivered. The same record helps if a state requires a particular delivery method for rent change notices.

How DoorKeeping handles it

DoorKeeping finds the leases ending soon and drafts the renewal offer from the current lease. You can ask Claude or ChatGPT, for example: "Which leases end in the next 90 days, and what rent would a 3 percent increase make?" The new rent, term and reply date are filled in, and nothing goes to a tenant until you approve it.

Renewal offers are e-signed like leases. The tenant's answer, the sent email and the signed copy are all filed under the property, so the proof is already in one place. You choose the rent and the terms; DoorKeeping does not set them for you.

Rent and payments stay in your own bank accounts. DoorKeeping never holds your money and sends a payment only when you approve it.

Sources

1. RCW 59.18.140, Landlord and tenant obligations, Washington Legislature, read Oct 30, 2026
2. ORS 90.323, Rent increase notice, Oregon statutes, read Oct 30, 2026

Questions

How far ahead should I send a lease renewal offer?

Send it early enough to meet your state's rent increase notice period, plus time for a reply. Washington requires 90 days of written notice of a rent increase and Oregon also requires 90 days; many states are shorter, so check yours.

Can I raise the rent in a renewal offer?

Often yes, but state and city rules on notice, timing and caps apply, and some places limit how much rent can rise. Check your state and local law before you set a number.

Does a renewal offer have to be signed?

A signed renewal gives both sides the same record. Your state and your lease decide whether a different delivery or signature method is required, so check them.