Apt. XXX has been reserved for somebody else. Mr. XXX ( former tenent) had
not renewed the lease for another year. The lease ends May 31st, 2004 and
you must vacate the premises by then.
Therefore, you are not permitted to remain in apartment XXX after May
31st, 2004.
Should you wish to lease another apartment in the building, please inquire
to the undersigned.
It's the answer from Lawyer, from legal point of view,
1 Landlord has the right to let you go. You have to move. Unless you could reach an agreement with the landlord.
2 If you go to the court, the former tanent is the one you could sue (not landlord). You could claim all the expense incurred by your moving and let it paid by the previous tanent.
If the apartment has been transferred officially to you, then the former tenant has given all his obligations and rights to you. In other words, the former tenant has no right to renew or not-renew the lease.
Second, if you receive no letter from the landlord before, then the lease is already renewed, automatically !
If you have given all information here about your case, I am sure you can live in this apartment for the next term.
An exception:
If the former tenant told the landlord, before the assignment of the lease, that he/she will not renew the lease, it becomes another story, becuse at that time, the former tenant still had the right to terminate the lease upon the term. Therefore, what he/she informed the landlord is VALID.