Whether you are a landlord or a tenant, ending a rental relationship can be difficult. Writing a solid, thorough lease termination letter is one step towards parting ways. Ensuring that you take the steps needed to provide proper notice that you intend to end your lease will go a long way towards avoiding disputes.
If you are a tenant, you cannot just call the moving truck and leave your apartment in the middle of the night. There are multiple issues that you should address before leaving your place. First and foremost, you must legally provide notice that you do not want to renew or extend your lease agreement.
As a landlord, you have slightly different responsibilities. Writing an apartment lease termination letter informs your renters that they need to prepare to move out. Because of notice requirements, unless you want to go through the legal eviction process, you will need to properly inform tenants that you do not plan to renew or extend their lease.
What Is a Notice to Vacate Letter?
A notice to vacate letter is a formal document that informs the other party of the move-out date. If you are a landlord, you send a notice to vacate letter to tell the resident they must be out of the apartment by a particular time. As a tenant, you can send a notice to vacate letter to let your landlord know when you will no longer reside on the property.
Sending a notice to vacate letter and lease termination letter is an important - and typically required - part of ending a residential lease. Even if your lease agreement has a specified end date, it is best to send these letters. Legally, they help prevent potential conflict.
Writing a Lease Termination Letter
There are certain formalities you should remember to include in any lease termination letter. Because a lease is a legal document, ending the relationship between landlord and tenant requires a specific writing style.
Make sure you edit, proofread, and verify the lease termination letter before you send it. Take care to avoid casual writing. Even if your landlord or your tenant is a close friend or family member, do not use nicknames, informal language, or make jokes because of the legal nature of the document.
Most importantly, make sure your lease termination letter complies with your lease agreement’s terms.
Lease Termination Clause
If your lease agreement includes a lease termination clause, you must abide by those terms when writing your notice to vacate or lease termination letter. Unless the terms of the contract conflict with state or local laws, you should provide information included in the lease termination clause.
Typically, the termination clause will include information about how far in advance you can notify the other party, where you can send the letter, and what needs to be included in the text itself.
No Lease Termination Clause
If your lease agreement is silent about the terms of ending the contract, your termination of lease letter must still be sent according to state and local landlord-tenant laws**.
What to Include in a Lease Termination Letter
There is certain information that needs to be included in any lease termination letter. Make sure you address at least the following points:
- Formal name
- Contact information, including forwarding address
- Actual date and time of the end of the agreement
- Final rent payment(s)
- Security deposit
- Damage inspection
Notice to Vacate Letter Template
If you are filing a notice to vacate with your landlord, make sure to check your lease terms for the address to send the letter. Sometimes, the address for notice to vacate or the contact person at a property management company will differ from where you send your routine rent check.
A letter from a tenant should be formally drafted in the following form:
[Your Name]
[Address block]
[Date of the letter] - this is important to ensure you are providing proper notice.
[Your landlord’s name, or the company who manages your rental]
[The address for sending formal correspondence] - as listed in the lease, including the proper care of, if noted
[Body] The body of the letter should be a text of one to three paragraphs. It should include a phrase such as “this is written notice that I will be ending my lease and vacating the apartment on [X] date.”
Make sure to mention your security deposit, the amount, and the date you paid it. Include a forwarding address for the deposit if you already have one.
[Salutation]
[Your name]
Month-to-Month Termination Letter Example
Month-to-month lease termination letters may be less involved than yearly or longer periodic leases. Still, make sure to provide proper notice and examine your lease for any terms you need to complete.
Do not forget to include notice of any security deposits and a forwarding address.
Apartment Lease Termination Letter Example
As a landlord, you may be more concerned about securing a new future tenant at the termination of a tenancy. Therefore, make sure your lease termination letter focuses on allowing access for showing the apartment property.
You will also want to ensure your letter has information regarding a move-out inspection. This will prepare the tenant for any necessary deductions from their security deposit.
Finally, if you are concerned the tenant may leave personal items or trash behind, a termination letter may contain provisions for how you will handle any leftover property.
As you can see, a lease termination letter is highly dependent upon the clarity of the lease agreement itself. Avoid any future issues by using well-drafted and individually-tailored lease agreements.
LawDistrict.com contract maker contains templates for the step-by-step creation of legal documents like leases. Create your perfect lease agreement in minutes by following our guides!
Whether you are a landlord or a tenant, ending a rental relationship can be difficult. Writing a solid, thorough lease termination letter is one step towards parting ways. Ensuring that you take the steps needed to provide proper notice that you intend to end your lease will go a long way towards avoiding disputes.
If you are a tenant, you cannot just call the moving truck and leave your apartment in the middle of the night. There are multiple issues that you should address before leaving your place. First and foremost, you must legally provide notice that you do not want to renew or extend your lease agreement.
As a landlord, you have slightly different responsibilities. Writing an apartment lease termination letter informs your renters that they need to prepare to move out. Because of notice requirements, unless you want to go through the legal eviction process, you will need to properly inform tenants that you do not plan to renew or extend their lease.
What Is a Notice to Vacate Letter?
A notice to vacate letter is a formal document that informs the other party of the move-out date. If you are a landlord, you send a notice to vacate letter to tell the resident they must be out of the apartment by a particular time. As a tenant, you can send a notice to vacate letter to let your landlord know when you will no longer reside on the property.
Sending a notice to vacate letter and lease termination letter is an important - and typically required - part of ending a residential lease. Even if your lease agreement has a specified end date, it is best to send these letters. Legally, they help prevent potential conflict.
Writing a Lease Termination Letter
There are certain formalities you should remember to include in any lease termination letter. Because a lease is a legal document, ending the relationship between landlord and tenant requires a specific writing style.
Make sure you edit, proofread, and verify the lease termination letter before you send it. Take care to avoid casual writing. Even if your landlord or your tenant is a close friend or family member, do not use nicknames, informal language, or make jokes because of the legal nature of the document.
Most importantly, make sure your lease termination letter complies with your lease agreement’s terms.
Lease Termination Clause
If your lease agreement includes a lease termination clause, you must abide by those terms when writing your notice to vacate or lease termination letter. Unless the terms of the contract conflict with state or local laws, you should provide information included in the lease termination clause.
Typically, the termination clause will include information about how far in advance you can notify the other party, where you can send the letter, and what needs to be included in the text itself.
No Lease Termination Clause
If your lease agreement is silent about the terms of ending the contract, your termination of lease letter must still be sent according to state and local landlord-tenant laws**.
What to Include in a Lease Termination Letter
There is certain information that needs to be included in any lease termination letter. Make sure you address at least the following points:
- Formal name
- Contact information, including forwarding address
- Actual date and time of the end of the agreement
- Final rent payment(s)
- Security deposit
- Damage inspection
Notice to Vacate Letter Template
If you are filing a notice to vacate with your landlord, make sure to check your lease terms for the address to send the letter. Sometimes, the address for notice to vacate or the contact person at a property management company will differ from where you send your routine rent check.
A letter from a tenant should be formally drafted in the following form:
[Your Name]
[Address block]
[Date of the letter] - this is important to ensure you are providing proper notice.
[Your landlord’s name, or the company who manages your rental]
[The address for sending formal correspondence] - as listed in the lease, including the proper care of, if noted
[Body] The body of the letter should be a text of one to three paragraphs. It should include a phrase such as “this is written notice that I will be ending my lease and vacating the apartment on [X] date.”
Make sure to mention your security deposit, the amount, and the date you paid it. Include a forwarding address for the deposit if you already have one.
[Salutation]
[Your name]
Month-to-Month Termination Letter Example
Month-to-month lease termination letters may be less involved than yearly or longer periodic leases. Still, make sure to provide proper notice and examine your lease for any terms you need to complete.
Do not forget to include notice of any security deposits and a forwarding address.
Apartment Lease Termination Letter Example
As a landlord, you may be more concerned about securing a new future tenant at the termination of a tenancy. Therefore, make sure your lease termination letter focuses on allowing access for showing the apartment property.
You will also want to ensure your letter has information regarding a move-out inspection. This will prepare the tenant for any necessary deductions from their security deposit.
Finally, if you are concerned the tenant may leave personal items or trash behind, a termination letter may contain provisions for how you will handle any leftover property.
As you can see, a lease termination letter is highly dependent upon the clarity of the lease agreement itself. Avoid any future issues by using well-drafted and individually-tailored lease agreements.
LawDistrict.com contract maker contains templates for the step-by-step creation of legal documents like leases. Create your perfect lease agreement in minutes by following our guides!
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