When a lease is getting close to expiring, you’ll see a notice “Ending Soon” label under the Leases tab on your dashboard, this appears up to 120 days before the lease ends. This reminder gives you plenty of time to prepare for either a renewal or a move-out, and it’s best to get started early to avoid last-minute issues.
Your first step is to identify the following:
Will the tenant be renewing?
Are they planning to move out?
Or have you decided not to renew?
Once you know the answer, you can follow the steps below to keep everything on track.
Step 1: Find the lease that’s ending. Go to your Leases tab and look for the “Ending Soon” tag
Step 2: In the “What are you thinking about doing?” section, click “Show Renewal Checklist.”
This will open a list of steps to guide you through the renewal process. Each step is designed to make the transition smooth, and we’ll walk you through them in detail later in this article.
Step 3: Update the lease terms to prevent the lease profile from automatically archiving.
To do this, click the “Edit” button on the right-hand side of the lease profile. This will open the lease settings. From there, select “Edit Terms” to either:
Enter the new lease dates, or
Switch the lease to a month-to-month agreement.
To transition an existing lease to a month-to-month agreement, open the Lease Profile in TurboTenant, click "Edit" on the right-hand side, and select "Edit Terms" where the option to change to month-to-month is available.
TurboTip: Saving your changes here ensures a smoother renewal process for you!
Step 4 - Get your Addendum Ready! The addendum will allow you to create a new end date, increase or decrease the rent amount, or *add other provisions that supersede what is in the lease agreement. Click here to learn more about creating an addendum! When preparing an addendum for a rent increase, ensure it includes the new rent amount and the effective date. This formal documentation is essential for legal compliance and tenant agreement. Once completed, send the addendum to tenants for their signature to finalize the updated lease terms.
*Addendums cannot be used to add or remove tenants from the lease agreement. You will need to create a new lease profile with a new lease agreement to add or remove tenants from the lease.
Step 5 - Ensure your charges continue with no hiccups. You can do this using the Payments tab in the lease profile (to the right of the summary). If you see the rent amount in "Upcoming Charges" check the end date to ensure that it matches what is in the lease profile and the addendum. If you do not see any charges, you can select "Create Charge" to get that new charge sent out on time.
Voila! You're done! Your tenant will be able to see the new charge, continue with their rent payments and you can close out your checklist!
If your tenant is vacating the property, please follow the steps outlined below.
Step 1 - Identify which lease profile is ending by looking for the "Ending Soon" tag in your leases tab in your dashboard:
Step 2 - Select the "Let my lease end & move out my tenants" prompt in the "What are you thinking about doing" box, this will open the Move-Out Checklist:
Step 3 - Set up or collect your last payment. This can be set up using the payments tab in the lease profile. If you are giving them a pro-rated rent amount you can use our handy calculator to calculate how much they owe! You can edit the existing charge to reflect that pro-rated amount (as long as it is not paid) or create a one-time charge for that amount:
Step 4 - You will want to delete any charges that you do not need them to pay so they do not receive notices for rent payments while they are not a tenant. You can select the charge and then select the edit button to remove:
Addressing recurring late fees during this step will ensure tenants do not receive charges that are no longer relevant after their lease ends.
TurboTip: Do this for recurring charges as well! Learn how to delete charges here!
Deleting charges like late fees associated with old leases ensures tenants aren't charged post lease expiration.
Step 5 - Expire the lease terms. This can be done using the edit button on the top right-hand side of the lease profile. You will want to ensure that the lease profile deactivates on the correct date so the tenant can make any payments to you before they move out.
Ensuring the lease expiration is accurately updated not only prevents further notifications but also stops late fees from being triggered past the end date.
After completing the task, you may utilize the move-out Condition Report to inspect the property, issue a cleaning notice, provide a general cleaning checklist, or use the Move-Out checklist. You can access the forms pack on your dashboard's Forms tab, which is included in the Premium Plan. Learn more about the Premium Plan here!
Once the new dates have been scheduled, the charges have been cleared, and all necessary notifications have been sent to the tenant, the lease profile will be automatically archived on the date of your choosing. Should you need to review this lease profile at any point, simply refer to the "Past" section within your leases tab.
Properly archiving the lease profile also guarantees that recurring late fees tied to the profile are stopped.
Can tenants pay outstanding charges after a lease ends or is archived?
Once a lease profile is archived, tenants cannot make payments through TurboTenant. This is intentional — the platform is designed to prevent past tenants (or tenants in the process of being evicted) from paying past-due charges outside the normal process. Make sure any outstanding charges are settled before the lease is archived. You can collect final payments, delete charges that are no longer relevant, or record an offline payment if funds were collected outside TurboTenant.
Follow Your State’s Security Deposit Laws
Before issuing a refund through TurboTenant, it’s important to follow your state’s landlord–tenant laws for security deposits. Each state has its own requirements around:
Timing: When the refund must be issued (often within 14–60 days after move-out)
Deductions: What can legally be withheld, such as unpaid rent or damages beyond normal wear and tear
Delivery method: How the refund should be returned—via check, direct deposit, or another approved method
Documentation: Whether an itemized list of deductions must be provided
Failing to meet these requirements could lead to penalties or disputes. Before processing a security deposit refund, review your state’s specific laws in TurboTenant’s Law Library.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for general educational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. Always review your local laws or consult a legal professional if you have questions around Security Deposit guidelines and regulations.
How Can I Extend or Renew a Lease in TurboTenant?
Lease management workflows in TurboTenant include various processes for extending, renewing, or modifying a lease. Here’s a comprehensive guide to navigating these processes, ensuring updated lease terms, signed addendums, and accurate charges.
Extending Fixed-Term Leases
Using an Addendum Template
To extend the end date of a fixed-term lease using TurboTenant’s Addendum template:
Updating Lease Profiles
For fixed or previously archived leases, you can:
Month-to-Month Lease Extensions
Month-to-month leases in TurboTenant do not require formal changes for extensions; charges will automatically roll over as long as the lease profile remains active. Specific actions include:
To confirm the lease type, navigate to the Leases section in TurboTenant, open the lease profile, and review the displayed start and end dates. Fixed-term leases will show a specific end date, while month-to-month leases will indicate this status explicitly.
Renewing or Refreshing Existing Leases
If you wish to keep tenants on modified terms:
Managing Lease-Related Charges
Ensuring charges correspond with updated lease terms is critical:
To manage recurring late fees, ensure that recurring charges are removed or adjusted, and lease profiles are archived properly.
Troubleshooting Common Lease Issues
Recurring late fees can often arise from active charges, incomplete lease updates, or duplicate lease profiles. Addressing these issues by reviewing charges and ensuring accurate lease status can resolve most late fee-related problems.
Re-Adding Tenants
If tenants were mistakenly removed during modifications, re-add them in the tenant section of the lease profile before distributing any lease addendums for signature.
Ensuring Addendums Trigger Lease Term Updates
Completing and signing an addendum alone will not update lease terms automatically. Remember to update the lease term updates within your Lease Profile > Settings!