Leases

Holdover tenant

A tenant who stays on after the lease term has ended

Possession without a current agreement. If the landlord accepts rent the tenancy commonly becomes periodic; if the landlord refuses it, the tenant holds an estate at sufferance and can be removed.

What accepting rent creates, and the procedure for removing a holdover, are set by state landlord–tenant law and differ from state to state.

How the exam asks about it

The fork is the landlord’s response, not the tenant’s intention. Accepting rent converts the holdover into a periodic tenancy; refusing it leaves an estate at sufferance.

Quick check: Holdover tenant

One question. Pick an answer to see the explanation.

Which term is being defined: “A tenant who stays on after the lease term has ended”?

Related terms

Estate at sufferancePeriodic tenancyEstate for yearsLeasehold estate

Sitting the license exam? Find out what you actually know.

Free practice questions built to the published national content outline, with an explanation after every answer. No account, no paywall.

Start a practice test Back to all terms

Independent exam preparation. Real Estate Exam Bank is not a state-approved pre-licensing course and completing anything here does not satisfy any state education requirement. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized by any state real estate commission, Pearson VUE, or PSI. Practice questions here are original study material, not the official exam.