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My question involves landlord-tenant law in the State of: New Jersey


I had originally signed a 12 month lease Sept 2013-Aug 2014. A few months in, I realized a was going to be moving next year and sent my landlord a friendly email letting him know I would be moving, although I never technically said that I would not be renewing my lease.

On February 22nd, I ran into my landlord and he said "I know your planning on moving on but it's that time of the year that we offer everyone new leases," and he handed me a letter. I gave it a quick skim but didn't read it thoroughly since it was mostly legal jargon (my landlord is a lawyer) and I wasn't going to renew my lease anyway. He also claims this letter was sent by mail, which I don't remember, but I trust he wouldn't lie about that.

Now today, March 26th, My landlord emailed me saying that my lease has been automatically renewed for next year since I din't respond to the letter in one month. He attached a copy of the letter to the email. A sentence near the bottom of the letter said my lease would be renewed automatically if I didn't respond in writing within 30 days. I reread the lease and there is a section of the lease that says he has the right to issue a new lease offer at any time and if I don't respond within 30 days its automatically accepted.

I realize I've made a mistake here, but it's could of, would of, should of at this point. Just trying to figure out what my best option is from here.

What is my wisest course of action?
Call your Landlord and explain that you are still planning to move and that you made a mistake by not responding to the letter in time. These are two situations here, the first is that your landlord (or someone that worked for him) didn't pay attention to the fact you said you were moving out, or otherwise forgot and renewed your lease in error. If that is the case then I am sure they will gladly fix it provided they can find new tenants before you move out (which should be easy if the new lease starts in September). The other possibility is that your landlord is trying to trap you in the lease and you fell into that trap (I find this less likely).

Are you in college? Does your school have an office or group that deals with student tenants and their landlords?

Step 1 is to call the landlord, be honest about what happened and ask what you can do. He may say no problem since you are just over the 1 month mark. He may want you to do the leg work of finding a new tenant. If he tells you that you are stuck then it is time to move on to another course of action.

Step 2- Contact your school assuming you are in college or living near a college based on your lease term and the time frame for renewals. They likely have someone who deals with these issues for students. They may be able to prevent the landlord from advertising on campus or receiving other benefits (this was the case at my school). If neither of these solutions work out then we can discuss what other options you may have.