Final answer:
The obligations of an express lease agreement do not terminate with the death of the landlord or tenant, except for a landlord who is a life tenant. Month-to-month agreements can be ended with proper notice, and void agreements hold no legal standing.
Step-by-step explanation:
The death of either a landlord (except in the case where the landlord is a life tenant) or a tenant does not automatically terminate the obligations that are set forth in an express lease agreement. Such agreements are binding legal contracts that are usually unaffected by the death of either party; instead, the rights and obligations under the lease typically pass on to the estate of the deceased. In the event of death, a month-to-month lease agreement can still be terminated by either party with proper notice, often set at 30 days. A void lease agreement, by its nature, has no legal standing and therefore cannot be terminated as it is already deemed non-existent in the eyes of the law.
It is important for tenants and landlords to understand that despite the stress of unexpected situations, including the death of one of the parties, the legal language in lease agreements must be carefully navigated. Lease agreements often include provisions for termination, possession, and handling holdovers, which are enforced unless properly terminated with notice or due to extraordinary circumstances like the destruction of property.