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Curbed
 

December 10, 2025

 

APARTMENT DEPARTMENT

My Landlord Is 94. Can I Ask Her for a Lease That Will Outlive Her? I’m not trying to be morbid, but I really want to stay in my apartment.

By Clio Chang

Illustration: Emma Erickson

Dear Apartment Department,

I’ve lived in my apartment for four years and I love it. I get along really well with my landlord, who lives below me in a three-unit building, and I want to live here for as long as possible — the rent is low, the location is good. The only problem is that she’s 94 years old. How do I broach the topic that she might … die soon? I want to know what her plan for me is as her tenant. I have this idea of asking for a ten-year lease. Is that even a thing? And how do you ask a woman about her end-of-life arrangements when the most you have exchanged is light conversation over Christmas cookies and tea?

Yours,

Desperately Seeking a Longer Lease

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