Confusion On Lease Terminology About Difference From Notice To Vacate Vs Renewal Decision #washington

Location: WA State

I had a year lease on a private rental through 2/28/2026. My landlord asks for 60 days notice for a decision to extend my lease or a notice to vacate. I gave my 60 days notice that I intend to move to a month to month lease which would start 3/1/2026

This week, mid February 2026 I ended up changing my mind and want to end my lease at the end of the original term and put my notice in with my landlord. I understood that once on month to month I need to provide 45 days notice so I put that in.

My landlord messaged me this:

"You are currently under your old lease with a fixed term which is 60 days. Notice for 2/28 would have been 12/31.

The new lease starts in March. The earliest termination under that would be end of April"

Im still not exactly following how she came to this conclusion. Is there anyway I can end my lease at the 45 day notice, instead of the end of April which seems excessive.

How should I approach this with them?

I pasted the relevant sections of my lease below

Lease:

TERMINATION BY RESIDENT: "Written notice to terminate a set-term tenancy at the end of the term, or to terminate a month-to-month or periodic tenancy, must be given at least 20 days prior to the end of the month of the tenancy."

Special provisions:
If the Owner offers to renew the Resident's lease, the Resident must provide a decision at least 60 days before lease-end or as noted in the Renewal Offer, otherwise the Resident forfeits the option to renew at Owner/Agent's election.

Renewal Letter:
Renewal for month to month:
**Please note the Modified Month to Month option requires a minimum 45-day notice to vacate, ending on the last day of the month, instead of the traditional 30-day notice. This ensures both parties have adequate time to find a replacement. Limited modified month to month agreement(s) are available in the home at any given time and availability is on a first come first serve basis. If another roommate selects this option during your renewal period prior to your response, you may be notified that the option is no longer available.