What is the best month(s) to start or end leases and why?

Port Richey, FL · Member since 2016 · 129 posts · 48 votes

I have a duplex that both leases are due to renew in November. I am thinking April or June would be better months. April I feel like there is more tax money for people to get in to rentals. June I feel like school is ending and people have the availability for moving...

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Jay Chang

Developer · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2017 · 151 posts · 84 votes

Originally posted by @Zac Boelkow:

May through the end of October are the best months for leases. Among these months, end of school is definitely the best time to have leases, so around May to end of June.

The worse time to have leases is around Winter/Holiday. Christmas and NYE time.

Hope this helps :)

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Mike Dymski
Investor · Greenville, SC · Member since 2016 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes
7y
Many investors cycle leases to renew/end in the spring and early summer to catch peak demand...not particular to a single month. Stuff will come up later anyway that may get you off the perfect month.
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Matt Pastier
Real Estate Agent · Central Florida · Member since 2013 · 118 posts · 102 votes
7y
@Zac Boelkow My last 3 vacancies were all in mid to late winter. I didn’t have a problem getting them rented. There’s a lot of variables at play, but if you have a solid way of attracting and placing quality tenants I don’t think the time of year will hurt you.
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Jay Chang
Developer · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2017 · 151 posts · 84 votes
7y
Originally posted by @Zac Boelkow:
I have a duplex that both leases are due to renew in November. I am thinking April or June would be better months. April I feel like there is more tax money for people to get in to rentals. June I feel like school is ending and people have the availability for moving...

May through the end of October are the best months for leases. Among these months, end of school is definitely the best time to have leases, so around May to end of June.
The worse time to have leases is around Winter/Holiday. Christmas and NYE time.
Hope this helps :)

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Michael Noto
Real Estate Agent · Southington, CT · Member since 2008 · 5k+ posts · 3k+ votes
7y
If you are looking to rent apartments that are in an area with demand there is no bad month to list a vacancy for rent in my experience.
Single family rentals in a good school district though you probably want to end your lease at end of May or June. Families tend to move during the summer break.
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David BarnettPro Member
Rental Property Investor · Cambridge, MA · Member since 2016 · 634 posts · 415 votes
7y
I don't think a winter time vacancy in Florida (if that is where you are investing) is as bad as in the really cold climates. Where I invest, a winter time vacancy can be much bigger of a negative (especially when it is below zero). I try to cycle my units to end at the start of Spring (a few are March 31/April 30th) and then a few are towards the end of Summer (August 31, September 30).
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Rob B.
Chicago, IL · Member since 2018 · 546 posts · 227 votes
7y
Hi Zac, some of this depends on the location of the rental (if the rental is, for example, a Florida rental which will be available in the winter, I don't think you'll have too much of an issue getting the place rented out). However, I would recommend a couple of options. You could enable a 6-month lease renewal which should bring you through to the end of March. This way you have some time to get yourself back on season (or, if you don't want to go that route you could decide to go on a month-to-month lease status until you're back on season, but there's still the chance that the tenants won't renew prior to reaching April or June; but again, given where the property is located, you should be able to get the place rented. There are a ton of resources out there that can help to make the listing process easier for you (so to help you cast a wider next by posting that listing on all of the major sites). @Zac Boelkow
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Sam Shueh
Real Estate Agent · Cupertino, CA · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
7y
Never start a lease in the midst of winter.
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Zac Boelkow
OP
Port Richey, FL · Member since 2016 · 129 posts · 48 votes
7y
@Rob B. Great advice! I think that’s exactly what I’m going to do. A short lease to get me to the best month for me personally then one years lease after that. 💥
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Ola Dantis
Multifamily Syndicator · Houston, TX · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
7y
@Zac Boelkow Yes, there are some variations in peak months for some markets, especially in the colder parts of the country.
However, what we do is send a reminder to our tenants two months before their leases are over, and ask if they want to sign another lease.
If they say no, we put the listing online and start to tour the unit, of course telling your tenants you will start to show the unit.
The best thing is to be proactive as opposed to trying to predict the peak periods.
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Dennis M.
Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2018 · 6k+ posts · 9k+ votes
7y
no one wants to move in 10 degree weather . Even the dog doesn’t want to go outside at that point
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Kenny Dahill
Investor · Tempe, AZ · Member since 2018 · 1k+ posts · 731 votes
7y
@Zac Boelkow, this is typically a regional factor; hot vs cold is the biggest termination.
You can go short-term with either a mini-extension or month-to-month. I'd be prepared in case they decide to move out during your low season. You could offer a move-in special if the next tenants accept a 18+ lease to help you get back on cycle.
I have the same dilemma with my college rental right now, it's lease has fallen to end of Sept. and I need to push it back into June-Aug for best results. I plan on offering an incentive if somebody signs either a 9 month or 21 month lease. Then next year I'll only accept 1-year lease extensions.
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Dean Detar
Real Estate Investor · Dallas, TX · Member since 2013 · 1 post · 0 votes
7y
@Zac Boelkow
I have semi-rural properties. I find it very difficult to rent them between November 1 to January 15. People don't want to move during the Holidays.
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Bjorik Mutize
Real Estate Broker · Minneapolis, MN · Member since 2016 · 530 posts · 398 votes
7y
Winter months tend to be tougher. People don't want to move in climate sensitive regions. So for places like where i am, dead periods usually are from October-March, April. You would want a lease locked in to extend through these periods so you have expiration in spring and summer time. Also, getting a lease signed before this time is ideal as well(August, September). I always think school start and end times.
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Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
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Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
7y
Depends on the market but most have the strongest season during late-spring through summer. I know some property managers that have all their leases start/end in the summer months. Sounds like a ridiculous way to sock yourself in for a very busy summer that's impossible to escape. My leases end throughout the year though 90%+ are ending in Spring/Summer to avoid the slow months of Nov - Jan.
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Account Closed
None · Member since 2018 · 125 posts · 46 votes
7y
@Zac Boelkow June-September is a good time, not only because of the nice weather, but also for families moving around to be in a certain school district before the next school year. You can do shorter term leases (6 months or 9 months instead of 1 year) to get on schedule for a June start going forward.
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Amanda Kessler
Member since 2019 · 111 posts · 36 votes
7y
Depends where you live and who you're trying to rent to. For example, if it's a summer rental, you'll want to end winter leases in April and summer leases in September.
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Account Closed
Rental Property Investor · Fort Knox, KY · Member since 2020 · 8 posts · 4 votes
5y
The best month is winter so your tenant would consider lease renewal before moving.
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Stacy Conkey
Member since 2023 · 27 posts · 5 votes
23h
Stagger them. Put one in May and one in August. If one tenant is more likely to renew, I’d give them the longer term and move the other one to the earlier date.
Then, 90 days before each lease ends, ask both tenants in writing whether they plan to renew, and give them a deadline to answer. It’s hard to plan a seamless turnover when you only find out about 30 days out.
Last thing, for whenever you do end up with a vacancy in a slow month. On a unit renting for $1,000, dropping the rent $75 costs you $900 over the year. One extra month sitting empty costs you the full $1,000, plus your turnover costs. Lowering the rent to get it filled is almost always cheaper. I’d price it to rent in a slow month and raise it back up on the next lease.
I hope that helps.
Stacy
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Igor Ganapolsky
Englewood, NJ · Member since 2018 · 461 posts · 74 votes
23h
zac since you're in port richey you're actually in a better spot than most people on here for november leases. florida's rental season is basically backwards from the rest of the country. winter is when people snowbird down here, so november through february you've got demand from seasonal renters who want to escape the cold. that's different from what most people on this thread are saying about winter being dead.

that said, for a duplex where you want both units on a stable 12-month cycle, june is probably your best bet. families with kids want to move during summer break so they don't disrupt the school year. and in florida the summer move-in market is strong because people relocate for jobs and the weather makes moving tolerable (unlike august in most states where you're sweating through boxes).

what i'd do is offer one of your current tenants a short 6-month extension to get them to may or june, then lock in a full 12-month lease from there. stagger them if you can - one in may, one in august. that way you're never dealing with two vacancies at the same time.

one thing stacy said below is spot on - if you're facing a slow month vacancy, drop the rent $50-75 instead of eating a full month empty. on a $1200/month unit that's $600-900 saved over the year versus one month of vacancy plus turnover costs. math works out way better.

the other thing about florida specifically - hurricane season runs june through november. some tenants actually prefer lease start dates outside that window because they don't want to deal with insurance questions mid-lease. another reason why a january or february start could work for one of your units, since the tenant gets through their first hurricane season already settled in.
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Shelley ClementsBusiness Member
Real Estate Consultant · Ardmore, OK · Member since 2020 · 27 posts · 8 votes
9h
I manage over 700 rentals and historically I don't allow leases to end in November or December. August and September aren't great months either lol
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Drew SygitBusiness Member
Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 12k+ posts · 9k+ votes
1h
Here's industry data on seasonal activity:
What law requires a 12-month lease?
We do 12-16 month leases to avoid vacancies during Oct-Feb.
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Ashley Herring
Property Manager · Orlando, FL · Member since 2025 · 14 posts · 3 votes
21m
I’d lean toward late spring/early summer, especially May–June. In my experience, that’s when you tend to have a larger renter pool because families are trying to move around the school calendar and people generally have more flexibility.
I wouldn’t force a lease end date just for the season. I’d also look at your specific market, current vacancy, and what similar rentals are doing. A strong resident renewing in November can still be more valuable than creating unnecessary turnover just to get to June.
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