Lease terms -- auto renewal

[Renee R.]

I'm in the process of closing a deal on a duplex. The current landlord has annual auto-renewal in the lease with notice of termination by either party 30 days prior to the termination date. I'd like to get the tenants onto my lease at the earliest opportunity, but am unsure when that is. One of the leases reads: The terms of this lease shall be one year from May 1, 2011 to April 30, 2012. Does this mean that the current lease is effective through April 30, 2015 and that if I want to get them on my lease, I can do so by notifying them by March 30, 2015? Is that the earliest I can change them over?