Free Lease Termination Letter
A Lease Termination letter enables a landlord or tenant to end a month-to-month lease in compliance with state regulations. It can be issued at any point during a tenancy-at-will, typically providing a 30-day notice period for vacating the property.
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What Is a Lease Termination Letter?
A Lease Termination Letter is a legal document that is given either by a landlord or a tenant to the other party in a lease agreement, notifying them that they are ending the agreement [1].
It is mostly used for standard 1-year agreements and month-to-month agreements that do not have an end date.
This legal document may go by a different name. What it’s called depends on how much notice you need to give before terminating a rental agreement.
In most cases, a 30-Day Lease Termination Letter is what will be required for you to end your lease.
Some states require a landlord and/or tenant to give even more notice, such as 60 or 90 days.
Other Termination Letter
Allows landlords or tenants to request or confirm that a lease will end before the date agreed in the contract. It sets out the main details, such as the new end date.
Sample Notice to Vacate Letter
When you are ready to write your Lease Termination Letter, go over an example of what it will look like beforehand.
Review this Notice to Vacate sample letter before you begin writing:
Lease Termination Letter to Landlord Example
It is always a good idea to go over an example of a document before you begin to create your own.
Here you can see an example, to give you an idea of what to include in your Lease Termination Letter or Early Lease Termination Letter from a tenant to a landlord.
Have a look at the sample below:
[your name and address]
[Date]
[Name of the landlord & official address, as written in the lease]
Re: Notice to Vacate
Dear [Landlord],
This letter will represent written notice of my intention to leave my apartment on [date], the end of my current lease.
Please recall that I made a security deposit of $______ on [date]. I expect the deposit to be returned in full, as I have left the apartment in good condition.
Sincerely,
[Signature]
[Printed name]
Note that a specific reason is not included in this letter. It is usually not necessary to provide any reason in the notice. In fact, it is usually not advisable to include a reason as, depending on the reason given, it may give the other party a reason to contest that it is a valid notice. For instance, a landlord cannot provide a notice that is retaliatory, so a tenant may later attempt to argue that the reason given in the notice was retaliatory.
While this risk is not as great where the tenant is giving the notice, it generally is not advisable for a tenant to share more information than necessary.
Lease Termination Letter to Tenant Example
We also provide a sample letter to landlords who want to notify their tenants of the termination of a lease agreement.
Read the example below.
[Your name and address]
[Date]
[Name of the tenant & official address, as written in the lease]
Re: Notice to Vacate
Dear [tenant],
You are hereby notified to vacate the property on or before [final day].
Failure to do so within ______ days or refusal to pay rent will result in legal proceedings to evict you from the property.
You have the responsibility of paying all present and future rent due under the current lease.
I appreciate your assistance.
Sincerely,
[Signature]
[Printed name]
How To Write a Lease Termination Letter
It is essential to outline your Lease Termination Letter correctly. It’s always important to ensure that your legal document is well-written.
Don’t make any mistakes when writing your document, or you may not be able to end your lease agreement. In fact, an incorrect notice may not be effective at all, meaning that a new notice may need to be issued.
Follow the instructions below to write your document:
- Type of Agreement: Before beginning, review the type of rental agreement you have. Is it a standard lease or a month-to-month lease? That way, you know exactly what to include.
- Names of parties involved: Write down the name of those involved. In other words, the landlord and the tenant.
- Information about the lease: Include the date when the original lease came into effect, as well as when the final day of the contract will be.
- The motive for the termination: Choose the reason the rental agreement is coming to an end.
- Forwarding address: Ensure there is a forwarding address where the security deposit can go.
- Signatures: Sign the document and then have it delivered to the tenant or landlord.
Ensure this document is signed and delivered with the correct amount of notice.
Have the receipt signed by the person who delivers the notice if you aren’t the one doing so.
Required Termination Laws by State
Most states make it a requirement to give 30 days' notice to end a rental agreement. That is often the case whether you are a landlord or tenant.
Certain states require different amounts of time, and there may be separate conditions for landlords and tenants.
| State | Minimum Notice Period | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 30 days | § 35-9A-441 |
| Alaska | 30 days | § 34.03.290(b) |
| Arizona | 30 days | § 33-1375 |
| Arkansas | 30 days | § 18-17-704 |
| California | 60 days, for tenancies of more than 1 year,
30 days, for tenancies of 1 year or less, | § 1946 |
| Colorado | 90 days, for tenancies of more than 1 year,
30 days, for tenancies of more than 6 months and less than 1 year, 10 days, for tenancies of more than 1 month and less than 6 months 3 days, for tenancies of more than 1 week and less than 1 month, 1 day, for tenancies for less than a week | § 13-40-107 |
| Connecticut | 3 days | § 47a-23 |
| Delaware | 60 days | § 5106 |
| Florida | 15 days | § 83.57 |
| Georgia | 30 days | § 44-7-7 |
| Hawaii | 45 days for the landlord, 28 for the tenant | § 521-71 |
| Idaho | 30 days | § 55-208 |
| Illinois | 30 days | § 735 ILCS 5/9-207 |
| Indiana | 30 days | § 32-31-1-1 |
| Iowa | 30 days | § 562A.34 |
| Kansas | 30 days | § 58-2570 |
| Kentucky | 30 days | § 383.695 |
| Louisiana | 10 days | § CC 2728 |
| Maine | 30 days | § 6002 |
| Maryland | 60 days | § 8-402 |
| Massachusetts | 30 days | § 186-15B |
| Michigan | 30 days | § 554.134 |
| Minnesota | 30 days | § 504B.135 |
| Mississippi | 30 days | § 89-8-19 |
| Missouri | 30 days | § 441.060 |
| Montana | 30 days | § 70-24-441 |
| Nebraska | 30 days | § 76-1437(2) |
| Nevada | 30 days | § NRS 40.251 |
| New Hampshire | 30 days | § 540:11(2) |
| New Jersey | 30 days | § 2A:18-56 |
| New Mexico | 30 days | § 47-8-37 |
| New York | 30 days | § 232-b |
| North Carolina | 7 days | § 42-14 |
| North Dakota | 30 days | § 47-16-07.2 |
| Ohio | 30 days | § 5321.17 |
| Oklahoma | 30 days | § 41-111 |
| Oregon | 30 days | § 91.070 |
| Pennsylvania | 15 days, for tenancies of more than 1 year,
30 days, for tenancies of more than 1 year | § 250.501 |
| Rhode Island | 30 days | § 34-18-37 |
| South Carolina | 30 days | § 27-40-770 |
| South Dakota | 30 days for landlords,
15 days for the tenant | § 43-32-13 |
| Tennessee | 30 days | § 66-28-512 |
| Texas | 30 days | § 91.001 |
| Utah | 15 days | § 78B-6-802 |
| Vermont | 60 days, for tenancies of 2 years or less,
90 days, for tenancies longer than 2 years | § 4467 |
| Virginia | 30 days | § 55.1-1253(A) |
| Washington | 20 days | § 59.18.200 |
| Washington D.C | 30 days | § 42-3505.54(a) |
| West Virginia | 30 days | § 37-6-5 |
| Wisconsin | 28 days | § 704.19 |
| Wyoming | No minimum period | No statute exists |
Difference Between Termination and Eviction
While both a termination of a lease and an eviction have similar goals, they are not the same.
Terminations are usually done cordially. It is simply one or both parties deciding not to continue with the lease agreement once the agreement has expired.
A Leave Premises Letter is used to formally notify the other party of the decision not to continue with the lease agreement.
Evictions are used to remove a tenant from the property. Often, an eviction is used because a tenant has not vacated a property after the notice period in a lease termination has expired.
The process may end in a trial and forcible removal of the tenant by authorities if the tenant fails to fix their breach of contract and leaves the property.
Lawdistrict offers the correct template to use for both a Lease Termination Letter and an Eviction Notice.
Use our Lease Termination Letter template to write the document for the appropriate occasion.
Landlord-Tenant Documents
To assist both landlords and tenants, other real estate documents can help during any legal process.
Some types of documents you can find useful include:
- Eviction Notice
- Residential Lease Agreement
- Month-to-Month Rental Agreement
- Rental Application
- Notice to Vacate Letter
- Notice of Intent to Vacate
Resources
FAQs About Lease Termination Letters
We have responded to some of the most common queries regarding how Lease Termination Letters work.
By responding, we intend to give further information to assist you in the writing process.
It is almost always required that this letter be provided in writing. It is not always required to be sent by mail, although that is usually the best option.
There are multiple ways you should give your landlord or tenant a Notice to Vacate Letter. You can choose to:
- Send it by certified mail: The USPS will give you a receipt that the letter was delivered.
- Deliver with a certificate of service: Get the certificate signed whether you or someone else delivers the document.
You can receive a Lease Termination Letter by going to a lawyer. This is not considered the best method, as it is expensive.
Instead, take advantage of Lawdistrict’s Lease Termination template. It is a simple and inexpensive way to get your letter. Our specialized advice complements but does not replace the personalized counsel of a dedicated lawyer.
You may need a Month-to-Month Lease Termination Letter if your agreement does not have a fixed duration.
In other words, if there is no end date on the contract, you will need this type of letter to terminate your rental agreement.
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