Landlords and tenants use a Lease Termination Letter to end a lease agreement early or confirm that an expiring lease term will not renew. Either party in a lease can complete this document and present it to the other.
What is a Lease Termination Letter?
If you need to end your lease early, most lease agreements require you to give written notice within a certain number of days.
Even if your lease does not explicitly require written notice, using a lease termination letter can protect you in the event of a later dispute.
A landlord or tenant will often present a lease termination letter to the other party at the end of a lease term to ensure no confusion on when the property will be vacant.
Additionally, landlords can use this document if they plan to increase the rent and the current tenant does not want to renew under the new terms.
Depending on your situation, you might want to consider the following types of termination letters:
- Early lease termination letter – Use this document when leaving a lease earlier than the current term end date.
- Late rent notice – This is a letter from the landlord to the tenant informing the latter that rent is past due and should be paid immediately.
- Eviction notice – If a tenant violates a term or condition in the lease agreement, the landlord should send an eviction notice telling the tenant to fix the issue or vacate the property within a certain number of days ( you may be able to screen tenants better and avoid eviction proceedings by having prospective renters fill out a complete rental application ).
Also, you may want to try talking to the other party in your lease to work problems out. But regardless, we recommend creating a termination letter to avoid misunderstandings.
The Most Common Situations For Termination
People often need a lease termination when circumstances change for the tenant or the landlord. Here are some common situations when you must end a lease early and leave before a rental agreement expires.
| Landlord | Tenant |
|---|---|
Why Should You Use a Lease Termination Letter
The court may not sympathize with your situation if you do not use a Lease Termination Letter. The law does not look well upon Tenants who move out without notice or Landlords who kick out their Tenants without any advanced warning.
Society is better off when people expect their one-year Rental Agreement to be honored.
Instead of simply leaving, Tenants are expected to have adult conversations with their Landlords about why they need to go. Tenants can offer to sublet the place to another trustworthy person or give the Landlord a chance to fix the heater (if they haven’t already).
What happens if you don’t use one?
If you do not write and deliver a lease termination to your landlord, you could pay penalties and even be in court! Here are some of the possible consequences of not using a lease termination letter:
| Landlord’s Consequences | Tenant’s Consequences |
|---|---|
Loss of Money
| Loss of Money
|
Loss of Time
| Loss of Time
|
Mental Anguish
| Mental Anguish
|
When Do I Need an Early Lease Termination Letter?
Some rental agreements require a notice period to end the landlord-tenant relationship.
If you want to end your agreement early, use a Notice of Termination to communicate the need to terminate the agreement officially. Some annual rental agreements will automatically renew unless the tenant gives one or two months’ notice.
Warnings sent in advance give the landlord time to find another renter and provide the tenant enough time to find a new home.
Some states require a minimum of days’ notice to be given to a Tenant before ending a periodic or month-to-month tenancy. Prepare an eviction notice with the statutory minimum notice requirements for periodic tenancies.
When the landlord is going through eviction with a tenant, a notice or agreement shows the court that the Landlord gave a fair warning. Hopefully, the Landlord has been documenting all the written letters and notices sent to the tenant.
A good paper trail can save the Landlord time if a judge becomes involved.
As the tenant, you may have an excellent reason to end your agreement early. A Tenant’s Notice of Termination to the Landlord can explain why you believe the Landlord has violated the Implied Warranty of Habitability and why you need to end the agreement and find a warm home for your family.
If you have asked your Landlord to fix the heater during the winter with no luck, you may find it helpful to send a final letter.
How to Write (Fill Out) a Lease Termination Letter
The lease notice terminating must be as clear and exact as possible. It is also essential to look at all the local landlord-tenant laws to ensure the lease termination adheres to them.
Depending on your lease agreement, a lease termination process may vary in complexity and steps.
Parties who want to deliver a simple lease termination letter to another should follow these steps:
Step 1 – Check the terms on the lease agreement
Before starting your lease termination, look at the type of rental agreement you have and the information included. You will find the landlord’s and tenant’s obligations and rights in your Lease Agreement.
Here are some typical leases you may work with:
- Standard Lease– This is the most popular rental contract, and a landlord usually creates it for a fixed period, typically around one year. You can send a lease termination letter 30, 60, or 90 days in advance if you use this type of contract.
- Month-to-Month Lease – The most straightforward rental agreement, the month-to-month tenancy automatically renews monthly. The lease renewal (a rollover) continues until either party provides 30 days’ notice. Unless stated in this lease agreement, you do not have to give a lease termination notice when rent is due. A midterm notice is usually preferable, and it ends your lease in the middle of the following month.
- Sublease Agreement – A sublease agreement is a lease between a tenant (sublessor) and a new tenant (sublessee). The parties in this contract become bound to the sublease terms, similar to a standard lease.
Step 2 – Name the parties involved.
A termination letter that a landlord writes to a tenant needs to name the parties involved and their addresses.
First, write down the following:
- Landlord Information: Name of the party who owns the premises and that person’s current address
- Tenant Name: The party who rents the property and pays the landlord
Step 3 – Reference the original rental agreement
Below is an example of an original agreement signed between the landlord and the tenant when they first leased the property.
In this form section, write when the landlord and tenant signed the original lease/rental agreement and when the lease will terminate.
Step 4 – Fill in the vacate date.
Write in the date when the tenant should vacate the premises. This date can be either (1) before the expiration or (2) at the end of the lease term.
Step 5 – Reason for termination
The reason for termination is an essential section in the letter where you stipulate why you want to terminate.
Legal issues can arise through wrongful termination, so it is best to include a reason in your notice to document your decision.
Step 6 – Include a forwarding address.
Write where to forward mail, future notices, or the security deposit.
Step 7 – Proof of Service (Optional)
You will need a signed Affidavit of Service if you are not the person serving the termination letter.
The person serving the notice hands the signed letter to the intended recipient, the landlord, or the tenant. This affidavit indicates that the party received the notice on a specific date.
Tips for Writing a Lease Termination Letter
Here are a few general rules to follow when writing your lease termination letter:
-
-
- Proofread for errors. Check dates and spelling to make sure the information is accurate.
- Keep it clear. Include a precise reason for your termination. For example, leases generally allow a tenant to leave early if the premises are not habitable and the landlord has not made necessary repairs.
- Check the lease for where and how to deliver your letter. Leases often tell you where to give notice and specify how to deliver your letter.
- Do not sit on it. Once you know you need to terminate your lease early, write and send your lease termination letter as soon as possible. If you want to terminate early, giving the other party as much notice as possible is better.
-
Legal Templates offers state-specific lease termination letters that you can use to end a lease in your state. These forms are helpful because they address each state’s specific laws and requirements.
For example, you can see our Indiana Lease Termination Letter for state-specific information on Indiana. This state-specific form helps you create a completed document that considers landlord-tenant rights.
How to Send a Lease Termination Notice
A lease termination notice should be in writing even if you are close with your landlord. If you are wondering how to send it, you should check your lease agreement first.
A clear written letter with relevant details about the original lease is critical when sending an early lease termination letter.
Lease Termination Letter Sample
Download and print the free blank lease termination template to start your letter.
Lease Termination Letter Example
In the following lease termination letter example, the landlord informs the tenant that the lease will not renew at the end of the lease term.
To learn more about whether this document is appropriate for ending your lease, check out our Lease Termination Letter Guide.
Use our comprehensive lease termination template builder to create a customized form and ensure you include all the necessary information in your form. This document builder generates state-specific forms.
Frequently Asked Questions
To write a 30-day notice to move out, including the following: Ensure the notice date (postmarked or delivered date) is at least 30 days before the move-out date. How do you write a 30-day notice to move out?
When writing a 60-day lease termination letter, include the date of the notice, the date the lease will end, landlord and tenant contact information, the key terms of the original lease, and the reason for termination. Make sure the date on the termination letter is at least 60 days before the move-out date.How do I write a 60-day lease termination letter?