Cal. Civ. Code § 704.15
Requirement that landlord notify tenant of automatic renewal clause.
Operative Text
704.15 Requirement that landlord notify tenant of automatic renewal clause. A provision in a lease of residential property that the lease shall be automatically renewed or extended for a specified period unless the tenant or either party gives notice to the contrary prior to the end of the lease is not enforceable against the tenant unless the lessor, at least 15 days but not more than 30 days prior to the time specified for the giving of such notice to the lessor, gives to the tenant written notice in the same manner as specified in s. 704.21 calling the attention of the tenant to the existence of the provision in the lease for automatic renewal or extension.
Wisconsin Statute § 704.15 addresses automatic renewal clauses in residential leases — provisions that extend or renew a lease for a set period unless one or both parties give advance notice to end it. Under this rule, such a clause cannot be enforced against a tenant unless the landlord first sends the tenant a written reminder about the clause. That reminder must arrive no earlier than 30 days and no later than 15 days before the deadline by which the tenant would need to act on the clause, and it must be delivered in the manner prescribed by Wis. Stat. § 704.21.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Landlords operating under residential leases with automatic renewal provisions in Wisconsin must comply with the advance-notice requirement of Wis. Stat. § 704.15 to preserve the enforceability of those clauses. A compliant operator typically tracks each lease's notice deadline, then sends a written reminder to the tenant — following the delivery methods outlined in Wis. Stat. § 704.21 — within the window of 15 to 30 days before that deadline. Operators who skip or mistimed this notice generally cannot rely on the automatic renewal clause to hold a tenant to an extended lease term.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Wis. Stat. § 704.15 gives residential tenants in Wisconsin a meaningful protection: if a landlord fails to send the required written reminder about an automatic renewal clause within the prescribed 15-to-30-day window before the notice deadline, that clause is not enforceable against the tenant. Tenants who believe a landlord is attempting to enforce an automatic renewal without having provided proper notice may raise this statutory requirement as a defense in any proceeding related to the lease extension. Tenant-rights organizations and legal aid offices familiar with Wisconsin landlord-tenant law can help individuals understand how this provision may apply to their lease documents.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 15, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References In
Rules and statutes that cite this regulation