Q: Can a landlord start a new lease without it being signed or agreed to?
I live in North Dakota. Upon the end of our lease, the lease states that it will automatically go month to month - we were month to month for a couple of months before our landlord sent a request for us to sign a new 6 month lease along with a rent increase via our rent portal. We did not sign that lease as we were exploring our moving options since we had the freedom to do so on our month to month lease. But they automatically started that new 6 month lease without a signature from us, is this legal?
A:
No. If you did not agree to the new six month lease, it is not yet effective.
Be aware, however, that they can demand that you surrender the premises and can commence eviction proceedings.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
