30-Day Notice to Landlord: Intent to Vacate Letter
A 30-day notice to your landlord is a short letter saying you will move out and on what date. It ends a month-to-month tenancy and, if your lease asks for it, confirms you won't renew at the end of your term. Below is a template you can copy, plus the details that keep your deposit safe.
What an intent to vacate letter is
An intent to vacate letter, also called a move-out letter or 30-day notice, is a tenant's written notice that they are ending the tenancy. It sets your last day, starts the clock on your deposit return, and gives your landlord time to find the next tenant.
A phone call or a chat in the hallway usually doesn't count. Most leases and many state laws require notice in writing, so a dated letter is what protects you.
When you need to send one
If you rent month to month, you need to give notice before you leave. Thirty days is the most common minimum for tenants, but some states use a different period, and week-to-week tenancies often need less. Check the table below for your state.
If you have a fixed-term lease, read the renewal section. Some leases end on their own. Many require 30 or 60 days' notice before the end date, or they roll into month-to-month or renew automatically. If you want to leave before the lease ends, you are breaking the lease, which is a different situation covered on our lease termination letter page.
Your lease can require more notice than state law, and some cities set their own rules. This page is general information, not legal advice.
What to include
A good notice to a landlord fits on one page.
- Today's date
- Your landlord's or property manager's name and the address from your lease
- Your full rental address, including unit number
- A plain statement that you are ending the tenancy
- Your exact move-out date
- A forwarding address for your security deposit and any letters
- A request for a move-out inspection, if your state offers one
- Signatures of every tenant on the lease
How to deliver it and keep proof
Look for a notices clause in your lease. It often says where notice must go and how. If it names a method, use it. If not, certified mail with a return receipt or hand delivery with a signed receipt are the easiest to prove. Email can be a useful extra copy, and some leases accept it, but don't rely on it alone unless the lease says so.
Keep a copy of the signed letter and the mailing receipt or a photo of the delivered letter. If the landlord later says they never got it, that record is your answer.
Mistakes that cost tenants money
These are the usual reasons a tenant ends up owing extra rent:
- Giving notice a few days late, so the landlord treats it as covering the next period
- Choosing a move-out date that falls mid-period when your state or lease requires notice to end on a rent period
- Only one roommate signing when everyone is on the lease
- Sending notice to the wrong address or by a method the lease doesn't allow
- Assuming a fixed-term lease ends on its own when it actually auto-renews
- Not leaving a forwarding address, which can delay your deposit
After you send it
Keep paying rent through your last day. Ask about a walk-through, and take dated photos and video of every room when you leave. Return all keys and get a note confirming the date you handed them back.
Your state sets a deadline for the landlord to return the deposit or send an itemized list of deductions. If you'd rather not draft the letter yourself, our form fills in your state's notice period and produces a print-ready PDF.
30-day notice to landlord template
[DATE] [LANDLORD OR PROPERTY MANAGER NAME] [LANDLORD MAILING ADDRESS FROM LEASE] Re: Notice of intent to vacate [STREET ADDRESS, UNIT], [CITY], [STATE] [ZIP] Dear [LANDLORD NAME], This letter is my written notice that I am ending my tenancy at the address above. My last day in the unit will be [MOVE-OUT DATE], which is at least [30] days from the date this notice is delivered. I will pay rent through my last day and return all keys on or before that date. Please let me know when we can schedule a move-out inspection. Please send my security deposit, and any itemized list of deductions, to: [FORWARDING ADDRESS] You can reach me at [PHONE] or [EMAIL]. Sincerely, [TENANT NAME] [SIGNATURE] [CO-TENANT NAME] [SIGNATURE]
Short version for email (send a signed copy too)
Subject: 30-day notice to vacate, [STREET ADDRESS, UNIT] Hello [LANDLORD NAME], Please accept this as my 30-day notice. I will move out of [STREET ADDRESS, UNIT] on [MOVE-OUT DATE]. My forwarding address for the deposit is [FORWARDING ADDRESS]. A signed copy is also coming by [DELIVERY METHOD]. Thank you, [TENANT NAME] [PHONE]
How much notice a tenant gives, by state
Minimum written notice a tenant must give to end a month-to-month tenancy. Where no statute sets a period, we say so; one rental period (usually 30 days) is the common practice there.
| State | Tenant notice (month-to-month) | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 30 days | Ala. Code § 35-9A-441(b) |
| Alaska | 30 days | Alaska Stat. § 34.03.290(b) |
| Arizona | 30 days | Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 33-1375(B) |
| Arkansas | 30 days | Ark. Code Ann. § 18-17-704 |
| California | 30 days | Cal. Civ. Code § 1946; § 1946.1(b) |
| Colorado | 21 days | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-40-107(1) |
| Connecticut | no statute; 30 days is customary | - |
| Delaware | 60 days | 25 Del. C. § 5106(d) |
| District of Columbia | 30 days | D.C. Code § 42-3202(b) |
| Florida | 30 days | Fla. Stat. § 83.57(3) |
| Georgia | 30 days | O.C.G.A. § 44-7-7 |
| Hawaii | 28 days | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-71(b) |
| Idaho | 30 days | Idaho Code § 55-208(2) ("not less than one (1) month") |
| Illinois | no statute; 30 days is customary | - |
| Indiana | no statute; 30 days is customary | - |
| Iowa | 30 days | Iowa Code § 562A.34(2) |
| Kansas | 30 days | Kan. Stat. Ann. § 58-2570(b) |
| Kentucky | 30 days | Ky. Rev. Stat. § 383.695(2) (URLTA jurisdictions only) |
| Louisiana | 10 days | La. Civ. Code art. 2728(2) |
| Maine | 30 days | 14 M.R.S. § 6002(1) |
| Maryland | 30 days | Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-402(c)(3) |
| Massachusetts | 30 days | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 12 |
| Michigan | 30 days | MCL 554.134(1) |
| Minnesota | 30 days | Minn. Stat. § 504B.135 |
| Mississippi | 30 days | Miss. Code Ann. § 89-8-19(3) |
| Missouri | 30 days | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.060.3-.4 |
| Montana | 30 days | Mont. Code Ann. § 70-24-441(2) |
| Nebraska | 30 days | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1437(2) |
| Nevada | no statute; 30 days is customary | - |
| New Hampshire | 30 days | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:11, II |
| New Jersey | no statute; 30 days is customary | - |
| New Mexico | 30 days | N.M. Stat. Ann. § 47-8-37(B) |
| New York | 30 days | N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 232-b (outside New York City: at least one month before the end of the rental period) |
| North Carolina | 7 days | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-14 |
| North Dakota | 30 days | N.D. Cent. Code § 47-16-15(2) (at least one calendar month's written notice) |
| Ohio | 30 days | Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.17(B) |
| Oklahoma | 30 days | Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 111(A) |
| Oregon | 30 days | Or. Rev. Stat. § 90.427(3)(a) |
| Pennsylvania | no statute; 30 days is customary | No statute; Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 § 501 (68 P.S. § 250.501) governs only the landlord's notice to quit |
| Rhode Island | 30 days | R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-37(b) |
| South Carolina | 30 days | S.C. Code Ann. § 27-40-770(b) |
| South Dakota | 30 days | S.D. Codified Laws § 43-32-15 |
| Tennessee | 30 days | Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-512(b) (URLTA counties) |
| Texas | 30 days | Tex. Prop. Code § 91.001(a)-(b) |
| Utah | no statute; 30 days is customary | - |
| Vermont | 30 days | 9 V.S.A. § 4456(d) (one rental payment period) |
| Virginia | 30 days | Va. Code Ann. § 55.1-1253(A) |
| Washington | 20 days | Rev. Code Wash. § 59.18.200(1)(a) |
| West Virginia | 30 days | W. Va. Code § 37-6-5 (notice for one full rental period) |
| Wisconsin | 28 days | Wis. Stat. § 704.19(3) |
| Wyoming | no statute; 30 days is customary | - |
Statutes checked October 2026. Cities and counties can add longer periods or require a reason (for example Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, Chicago, Seattle, Portland and Washington DC). Open your state's page for details and sources. General information, not legal advice.
Rather not draft it yourself?
Answer a few questions and we fill in your state's notice period, the dates and the delivery details, then give you a print-ready PDF. One-time payment from $29.
Start the formQuestions people ask
Do I have to give a reason for moving out?
No. A tenant ending a month-to-month tenancy or declining to renew normally doesn't need to give a reason. Just state the date.
Is 30 days' notice enough in every state?
No. Thirty days is common, but some states set a different period, and your lease can require more. Check the table below and your lease, and use the longer of the two.
Can I give notice in the middle of the month?
In some states, yes, and rent is prorated to your move-out date. In others, the notice must end on the last day of a rental period, so mid-month notice effectively runs to the end of the next month.
What if my landlord won't accept my notice?
A landlord usually can't refuse a properly delivered notice. Keep your proof of delivery and move out on the date you gave.
Do all roommates need to sign?
If everyone is on the lease, it's safest for everyone to sign. If only one person is leaving, talk to the landlord about removing that person from the lease, since a notice from one tenant can end the tenancy for all in some cases.