Q: Can a landlord lease to someone else if you submit an "Intent to Renew" form within 30 days of your lease expiring?
I created and submitted an "Intent to Renew Lease" document within 30 days of my current lease expiring (July 10, 2018), and now my landlord is harassing me because I haven't signed the lease yet (to the point of calling my emergency contact about it). Can she lease my unit to someone else? Or is she just saying that to coerce me into signing early?
A: I'm looking for a problem. You intend to renew your lease, so it should make no difference to you whether you sign it today, tomorrow or 30 seconds before your old one expires. Sign the lease, if you mean to do so. The landlord has every right to be looking for a new tenant if you haven't in fact signed a new lease, and yes, he or she can lease it to someone else unless they have contractually committed to you not to do so. Your providing the landlord a unilateral notice that you intend to renew the lease is probably meaningless -- it's like a promise to attend a party.
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