A lease termination letter is a notice that can be used to end a lease agreement early or to confirm that an expiring lease term will not be renewed.
If you want to end a month-to-month or weekly tenancy, use our eviction notice instead.
As a reference, a Lease Termination goes by several other names:
- Early Lease Termination Letter
- Notice of Lease Termination
- Notice of Terminating Tenancy
- Notice to End Tenancy
- Release of Lease Agreement
When Do I Need an Early Lease Termination Letter?
When do you need a Lease Termination Letter?
Some Rental Agreements require notice to be sent if the landlord-tenant relationship will end. If you want to end your agreement early, use a Lease Termination Letter to officially communicate the need to end the agreement. For example, a yearly rental agreement may automatically renew unless one month or two month’s notice is given. Advanced warning gives the Landlord time to find another renter and provides the Tenant enough time to find a new home.
Some states require that a minimum number of days’ notice 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.
In situations where the landlord is going through the eviction process 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 being sent to the Tenant. A good paper trail can save the Landlord time in the future if a judge becomes involved.
As the Tenant, you may have a very good reason to end your agreement early. If you have asked your Landlord to fix the heater during the winter with no luck, you may find it useful to send a final letter. A Tenant’s Notice of Lease 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 you and your family.
A Lease Termination Letter can be used to end a lease agreement early or to confirm that an expiring lease term will not be renewed.
Why You Should Use a Lease Termination Letter
What happens if you don’t use one?
If you do not use a Lease Termination Letter, the court may not sympathize with your situation. The law does not look well upon Tenants who simply move out without any notice or Landlords who kick out their Tenants without any advanced warning. Society is better off when people can expect that their Rental Agreement for one year will be honored.
Instead of simply leaving, Tenants are expected to have adult conversations with their Landlords about why they need to leave. 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).
Here are some of the possible consequences of not using a Termination Letter.
| Landlord’s Consequences | Tenant’s Consequences |
|---|---|
Loss of Money
| Loss of Money
|
Loss of Time
| Loss of Time
|
Mental Anguish
| Mental Anguish
|
The Most Common Situations For Termination
When is a Termination Letter often used?
People often need a lease termination when circumstances change for either the tenant or the landlord.
Here are some common situations when you may need to end a lease early and leave before a rental agreement expires.
| Landlord | Tenant |
|---|---|
There are two ways to end a lease and get both parties off the hook from their obligations.
- If only ONE party wants to end the relationship, the Landlord or Tenant may unilaterally send a Notice of Lease Termination to the other party.
- If BOTH parties agree, the Landlord and Tenant may sign a mutually agreed upon Lease Termination Agreement.
How to Write a Lease Termination Letter
A simple Lease Termination Letter will identify the following basic elements:
- Landlord: name of the party who owns the Premises being rented
- Tenant: name of the party who rents the Premises and pays the Landlord
- Original rental agreement: name, start, and end date of the agreement
- Vacate Date: when the Tenant will move out and leave the property
- Forwarding Address: where to send future notices or security deposit
- Reason for Termination: an explanation for ending the agreement