What happens when a fixed-term lease ends, by country
In seven of the eight countries the lease carries on without a new contract. Ontario turns it into a monthly tenancy, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Japan into an open-ended one, while Austria renews it for a period tied to how rent is paid and Spain extends it yearly. Norway is the exception: the lease ends with the term, and only three months of staying on, with no written request to leave from the landlord, makes it open-ended. The ways to stop a renewal differ too: a two-week objection in Germany, a one-month window in Sweden, a notice given one year to six months ahead in Japan, and a listed ground for the landlord in the Netherlands.
Scope of this guide
Canada: the Canada Labour Code (federal sector) and the Ontario statutes that LawAsked has loaded. Other provinces are not compared.
| Country | If the term runs out and the tenant stays | How a party stops the renewal |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | Renewed on the same conditions, for 6 months if rent is paid half-yearly or yearly, otherwise for the same time as before | Give the notice the contract provides for in time; where none was agreed, the landlord must not simply let the tenant carry on |
| Canada | Deemed renewed as a monthly tenancy on the same terms | Tenant: 60 days' notice before the end date. Landlord: only in the ways the Act allows |
| Germany | Becomes open-ended | Either party declares a contrary will within 2 weeks |
| Spain | Extended by a year at a time until 5 years (7 if the landlord is a company); then by yearly extensions up to 3 more years | Tenant: 30 days' notice in the first 5 (or 7) years. After that, landlord 4 months' and tenant 2 months' notice |
| Japan | Renewed on the same conditions, with no fixed term | Notice of non-renewal 1 year to 6 months before the end, and a landlord needs a justifiable reason |
| Netherlands | Becomes open-ended if the landlord agrees to the tenant staying | Landlord notice on a listed ground only; any other ground makes the notice void |
| Norway | Ends with the term; becomes open-ended if the tenancy goes on more than 3 months with no written request to leave | Landlord asks the tenant in writing to move out |
| Sweden | Treated as extended for an indefinite period | Landlord asks the tenant to move out within 1 month after the term; or a notice, where the contract requires one |
Country by country
Austria
- Rule
- ABGB §§ 1114 and 1115
- This is the general civil-code rule for rented property. The Mietrechtsgesetz governs most flat leases and sets its own rules for fixed terms (see the minimum-lease-duration guide).
- Tacit renewal needs two things: the tenant keeps using the property after the term, and the landlord lets it stand.
- Later renewals follow the same rule as the first renewal, according to § 1115.
Ist keine Aufkündigung bedungen worden; so geschieht eine stillschweigende Erneuerung, wenn der Bestandnehmer nach Verlauf der Bestandzeit fortfährt, die Sache zu gebrauchen oder zu benützen, und der Bestandgeber es dabey bewenden läßt. Die stillschweigende Erneuerung des Bestandvertrages geschieht unter den nähmlichen Bedingungen, unter welchen er vorher geschlossen war.Miethungen, wofür man den Zins erst nach einem ganzen oder halben Jahre zu bezahlen pflegt, werden auf ein halbes Jahr; alle kürzere Miethungen aber auf diejenige Zeit stillschweigend erneuert, welche vorher durch den Bestandvertrag bestimmt war. Canada
- Rule
- Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (Ontario) ss. 37(1), 38(1) and 44(4)
- Rent increases made under the Act still apply to the monthly tenancy.
- The 60-day notice in s. 44(4) applies to notices given under ss. 47 (tenant), 58 and 144 (landlord notices on stated grounds). A landlord cannot end a tenancy only because the fixed term has run out: s. 37(1) allows termination only in accordance with the Act.
- Ontario statute only. The Canada Labour Code does not deal with tenancies.
If a tenancy agreement for a fixed term ends and has not been renewed or terminated, the landlord and tenant shall be deemed to have renewed it as a monthly tenancy agreement containing the same terms and conditions that are in the expired tenancy agreement A notice under section 47, 58 or 144 to terminate a tenancy for a fixed term shall be given at least 60 days before the expiration date specified in the tenancy agreement, to be effective on that expiration date. A tenancy may be terminated only in accordance with this Act. Germany
- Rule
- BGB §§ 542(2) and 545
- The two weeks run for the tenant from the day they keep using the home, and for the landlord from the day they learn of it.
- Section 542(2) says a fixed-term lease ends when the time runs out unless it is terminated extraordinarily or extended; § 545 is the rule for a tenant who stays on.
so verlängert sich das Mietverhältnis auf unbestimmte Zeit, sofern nicht eine Vertragspartei ihren entgegenstehenden Willen innerhalb von zwei Wochen dem anderen Teil erklärt. Ein Mietverhältnis, das auf bestimmte Zeit eingegangen ist, endet mit dem Ablauf dieser Zeit Spain
- Rule
- Ley de Arrendamientos Urbanos, arts. 9(1) and 10(1)
- Covers the lease of a home used as the tenant's permanent residence.
- During the compulsory period only the tenant can stop the extensions; the landlord's notice counts only once the 5 (or 7) years have passed.
- The stored text of art. 10 announces an amendment from 15 November 2026 (Real Decreto-ley 28/2026) that replaces the yearly extensions by successive five-year ones; this guide quotes only the text in force on the date of the stored copy.
salvo que el arrendatario manifieste al arrendador, con treinta días de antelación como mínimo a la fecha de terminación del contrato o de cualquiera de las prórrogas, su voluntad de no renovarlo ninguna de las partes hubiese notificado a la otra, al menos con cuatro meses de antelación a aquella fecha en el caso del arrendador y al menos con dos meses de antelación en el caso del arrendatario, su voluntad de no renovarlo, el contrato se prorrogará obligatoriamente por plazos anuales hasta un máximo de tres años más Japan
- Rule
- 借地借家法 第二十六条 and 第二十八条
- The renewal also happens if the tenant keeps using the building after the term and the landlord does not object without delay (Article 26(2)).
- A landlord's notice of non-renewal is allowed only if there is a justifiable reason (正当の事由), judged on both sides' need to use the building, the history of the lease, the state of the building and any payment the landlord offers.
- A fixed-term lease with no renewal under Article 38 works differently and is not covered by this row.
当事者が期間の満了の一年前から六月前までの間に相手方に対して更新をしない旨の通知又は条件を変更しなければ更新をしない旨の通知をしなかったときは、従前の契約と同一の条件で契約を更新したものとみなす。 ただし、その期間は、定めがないものとする。建物の賃貸人が遅滞なく異議を述べなかったときも、同項と同様とする。 正当の事由があると認められる場合でなければ、することができない。 Netherlands
- Rule
- Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 7, arts. 230 and 271(5)
- Article 230 requires that the tenant keeps using the property with the landlord's consent, unless a different intention appears.
- For home leases art. 271 also says a fixed-term lease does not end by the mere passing of time (see the minimum-lease-duration guide).
- The grounds a landlord may rely on are listed in art. 274(1), such as the tenant not behaving as a good tenant should or the landlord needing the home urgently for own use.
Indien na afloop van een huurovereenkomst de huurder met goedvinden van de verhuurder het gebruik van het gehuurde behoudt, wordt daardoor, tenzij van een andere bedoeling blijkt, de overeenkomst, ongeacht de tijd waarvoor zij was aangegaan, voor onbepaalde tijd verlengd. Een opzegging door de verhuurder op andere dan de in artikel 274 lid 1 genoemde gronden, is nietig. Norway
- Rule
- Husleieloven § 9-2
- A fixed-term lease ends at the end of the agreed time without notice.
- For a home, the minimum term rules of § 9-3 also apply (see the minimum-lease-duration guide).
En leieavtale som er inngått for bestemt tid, opphører uten oppsigelse ved utløpet av den avtalte leietid.Fortsetter leieforholdet i mer enn tre måneder etter utløpet av den avtalte leietid uten at utleieren skriftlig har oppfordret leieren til å flytte, er leieavtalen gått over til å være tidsubestemt. Sweden
- Rule
- Jordabalken 12 kap. 3 §
- The extension applies in two cases: the contract has no rule on the effect of missing notice and no notice was given where one was required, or the tenant keeps using the flat a month after the term without being asked to move.
- The request to move out must follow the rules on notice in 12 kap. 8 §.
- Whether the tenant then has a right to an extension is governed by 12 kap. 45 to 52 §§, which this guide does not compare.
Ett hyresavtal, som är ingånget för bestämd tid, anses förlängt på obestämd tid.om avtalet saknar bestämmelser om verkan av utebliven uppsägning och inte sägs upp till hyrestidens utgång trots att uppsägning skall ske, ellerom hyresgästen, trots att avtalet upphört att gälla utan uppsägning, fortsatt att använda lägenheten en månad efter hyrestidens utgång utan att hyresvärden anmodat honom att flytta. Countries not in this table yet
The United Kingdom (the Housing Act 2004 is ingested, but not the Housing Act 1988 or the tenancy-term statutes) and the United States (federal law does not govern lease renewal) are left out because the ingested statutes do not state the rule. Australia and France have no tenancy statute ingested.
How this table was built
Every row is taken from the official, consolidated text of the statute, which LawAsked loads from each government’s legislation service.
Each figure is tied to a passage quoted word for word from that text. When the page is served, it checks that every quoted passage is still in the current text of a law that is in force; if a law is amended and its wording changes, that row is hidden until a person reviews it again.
The table shows the statutory minimum only. Collective agreements, awards and individual contracts often give more than the statute, and some countries let a collective agreement set different terms.
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The table and the CSV are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: credit LawAsked and link to this page. Quoted statute text stays under the terms of its official source.
How to cite this page
LawAsked, “What happens when a fixed-term lease ends, by country”, https://lawasked.com/guides/lease-renewal (reviewed October 25, 2026).
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