Do I need to draft a new lease to extend one to month-to-month?

[Carolyn Chandler]

Hi folks! I'm in Chicago and am a new landlord. My current tenant is great but her lease is up end of April. She's thinking of moving sometime in the next few months and has asked to convert to a month to month. I'm happy to do that at least until end of August but then would ideally have her commit to at least a 6 month lease so as to avoid the possible winter vacancy. 

Do I have to draft a whole new lease to extend the current lease to a month-to-month schedule? Or is it good enough to document via email that we have agreed to extend her current terms to a month-to-month until either of us notifies otherwise? I'd love to just let it extend and then readdress later in the summer (also I haven't drafted my own lease yet as I used a tenant placement service, so it's a little daunting). 

Also does it make sense to do that and then a 6 month lease later, or is there a better way? She also offered to do a 6 month lease now but that would land us right into the worst time, November, if she does move. 

[Quincy Lockett]

@Carolyn Chandler

You don’t have to do anything. The lease automatically converts to a month to month under the same general terms of the previous lease (except both of you only have to give 30 days notice to end the agreement). A simple e-mail acknowledging this is MORE than enough for the courts.