Free template from Keepwatch
Commercial lease non-renewal letter
For landlords: tell a commercial tenant, such as a medical, dental or professional office, that the lease won’t renew, and set out the surrender steps.
Check the tenant’s renewal rights first. Many commercial leases give the tenant an option to extend. If the tenant can still exercise one, a landlord’s non-renewal notice may not end the lease. This letter is for a lease the landlord can let expire, or stop from renewing, under its own terms.
It is written for commercial space such as offices, medical office buildings and retail. It is not designed for residential leases, which state and local tenant laws govern.
Before you send it
- Look for a tenant renewal option. Commercial leases often give the tenant one or more options to extend, each with its own exercise window and conditions. If the tenant can still exercise one, a landlord’s notice generally won’t prevent the renewal. Read the renewal section and any amendments first.
- See how the lease ends. Some leases simply expire, some renew automatically unless either side gives notice, and some roll into a month-to-month tenancy. If notice is required, find the date with the notice deadline calculator. Even where it isn’t, a letter confirms the end date and starts the move-out.
- Send it to the right place. Use the tenant’s notice address and any “with a copy to” recipients in the lease’s notice section, by the method it requires, and keep proof of delivery.
- Spell out the surrender. The lease’s surrender, alterations and restoration sections say what the tenant must remove or restore. In medical and dental space that can include specialized equipment, plumbing, cabling and shielding, as well as medical waste and records.
- Settle the money. Plan for the final reconciliation of operating expenses and taxes, and for the security deposit or letter of credit under the lease.
- Know the holdover terms. Most commercial leases set holdover rent, often at a premium. If a tenant stays past the end of the term, removing them usually takes a court process; talk to counsel before acting.
Other contracts: all letter templates.
The template, as text
The same letter with blanks in brackets, for copying into your own letterhead. The optional notice-period sentence is included; delete it if your contract doesn’t state a period.
[Your name]
[Your title]
[Landlord]
[Your address]
[Date]
VIA CERTIFIED MAIL, RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED
[Tenant]
[Tenant’s notice address, from the lease]
Re: Notice of Non-Renewal of Lease Agreement
Premises: [Premises]
To whom it may concern:
This letter is written notice that [Landlord] does not intend to renew the lease of the premises at [Premises] (the “Premises”) between [Landlord], as landlord, and [Tenant], as tenant (the “Lease”).
The Lease requires not less than [notice period] written notice prior to the end of the current term. This notice is given on [Date], in advance of the [End of current term] expiration, and is intended to satisfy that requirement.
Accordingly, the Lease will expire by its terms on [End of current term] and will not renew. Please vacate and surrender the Premises on or before that date.
Rent, additional rent and other charges under the Lease remain due through [End of current term], including any reconciliation of operating expenses and taxes for the final lease year.
On or before that date, please remove your furniture, equipment, trade fixtures and signage, complete any restoration the Lease requires, and surrender the Premises in the condition the Lease requires.
We would like to schedule a walk-through of the Premises before the end of the term. Please contact us to arrange a time.
Please return all keys, access cards and parking credentials, and arrange for any utilities and services in your name to be closed or transferred as of [End of current term].
Your security deposit or letter of credit will be handled as the Lease provides. Please tell us in writing where any amount due to you should be sent.
Please acknowledge receipt of this notice.
Sincerely,
_______________________________
[Your name]
[Your title]
[Landlord]
Next year, don’t start from the contract. Keepwatch tracks the notice deadline for every contract you have signed, reminds you before each one, and drafts this letter from the contract’s own details. Free for three contracts on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Get Keepwatch.
Common questions
Does a commercial landlord have to give notice of non-renewal?
It depends on the lease. A lease that expires on a fixed date without automatic renewal may simply end. One that renews automatically, or becomes month-to-month, usually needs notice by a set date. A letter is useful either way: it confirms the end date and starts the move-out.
What if the tenant has an option to renew?
If the tenant holds a renewal option it can still exercise, the landlord generally can’t prevent the renewal with a non-renewal notice. Check the option’s exercise deadline and conditions, such as the tenant not being in default, and get advice if you think the option has lapsed.
What happens if the tenant stays after the lease ends?
The lease’s holdover section usually sets the rent and terms for any holdover period. Removing a commercial tenant who won’t leave generally requires a court process; talk to counsel before changing locks or taking other steps yourself.
Does this work for a medical office building?
Yes. The optional paragraph on medical waste, hazardous materials and records is there for medical, dental and lab space. Check the lease’s surrender and restoration sections for anything specific to the suite, such as equipment or improvements the tenant must remove.
How should I send it?
The way your contract’s notice clause requires. Many require certified mail, overnight courier or hand delivery, and some do not accept email. Keep the receipt or tracking record as proof of when the notice went out and when it arrived.
What if they don’t acknowledge the letter?
Follow up in writing and keep a copy. A missing acknowledgment does not by itself make your notice ineffective, but proof of delivery matters if the other side later says it never arrived.
Linking to a filled-in letter
Add ?example to open the Miami example: https://lincolnroadapps.com/keepwatch/non-renewal-letter/commercial-lease-non-renewal/?example.
To open the builder with details already filled in, put them after a #, which
browsers never send to the server: https://lincolnroadapps.com/keepwatch/non-renewal-letter/commercial-lease-non-renewal/#co=Your%20Company&rc=Their%20Company&end=2026-12-31&nn=60.
Fields: co your company, nm name, ti title, ad
address, rc recipient, at attention, ra their address,
ag agreement title, agd agreement date, acct account
number, loc location or premises, cc copy to, end end of
term, nn notice period, nu days or months,
nb calendar or business, dm delivery method.
Dates are YYYY-MM-DD; use %0A for a new line in an address.
This template is sample language, not legal advice, and the builder runs entirely in your browser; nothing you type is sent anywhere. Your contract controls: check the notice clause for what the notice must say, who receives it and how it must be delivered. For advice about a specific agreement, consult an attorney.