What happens if your tenant just... stays (holdover, state by state)

The lease term ends. The tenant doesn't leave, doesn't sign a renewal, and keeps running their business out of your space like nothing changed. That's a holdover, and what happens next depends heavily on your state and on whether your lease actually addresses it. This isn't a complete 50-state guide, but two real examples show just how differently this can play out.

Florida gives landlords a statutory double-rent right, but only if you ask for it

Under Florida Statute Section 83.06, a landlord can demand double rent from a tenant who refuses to vacate after the lease term ends, independent of whatever the lease itself says. The catch: it isn't automatic. The double-rent obligation only starts once the landlord formally demands it, not retroactively from the day the tenant held over. Miss the demand, and you've lost the ability to collect double rent for the period before you made it.

Texas defaults to the old rent rate unless your lease says otherwise

Texas works differently. One Texas commercial-litigation overview describes the default rule as: absent a specific lease provision, a holdover tenant owes rent at the prior rate, not an inflated one. Landlords there rely on their lease's own holdover clause to get a higher rate, and the common multipliers (150% to 200% of base rent) are generally enforceable as long as they reflect real damages from the holdover rather than functioning as a pure penalty. Push the multiplier too high (300% or more) and it starts inviting a penalty-clause challenge.

The common thread: your lease's own holdover language is what actually controls

Whether your state hands you a statutory right or leaves it entirely to the lease, the practical lesson is the same. A clear, specific holdover clause (the rate, when it kicks in, whether it converts to month-to-month or just accrues as a penalty rate) gives you something to enforce on day one, instead of researching your state's default rule after the tenant has already stayed.

This isn't legal advice. Holdover rules, notice requirements, and enforceability standards vary by state and by the specific facts, and Florida and Texas above are examples, not a substitute for checking your own state. RenewSavvy flags what your actual lease says about holdover, term end dates, and renewal options, so you know what you're working with before a tenant overstays.