Notice to Vacate Template and Sample Letter
A notice to vacate is a written letter telling the other side that a tenancy is ending and by what date the unit must be empty. Below you'll find a complete landlord template, a short tenant version, and step-by-step help on how to write one that holds up. Fill in the [BRACKETED] parts and check your state's notice period in the table below.
What a notice to vacate is
A notice to vacate ends a tenancy in writing. Landlords use it to end a month-to-month tenancy or to say a lease won't be renewed. Tenants use it to tell the landlord they're leaving.
It is a notice, not an eviction. If a tenant stays past the date, the landlord's next step is an eviction case in court. Notices for unpaid rent or lease violations follow different rules and usually have much shorter deadlines. Those are covered on our pay-or-quit notice page.
Pick the right type before you write
Using the wrong type of notice is one of the most common reasons a case gets thrown out.
- No-fault notice: ends a month-to-month tenancy. The period is set by state law and is often 30, 60 or 90 days.
- Non-renewal notice: tells the tenant a fixed-term lease won't be renewed.
- Pay rent or quit: gives the tenant a short deadline to pay overdue rent or leave.
- Cure or quit: gives the tenant a deadline to fix a lease violation or leave.
- Tenant notice: the tenant's own notice that they are moving out.
How to write a notice to vacate, step by step
1. Find the required period in the table below, then read your lease. Use whichever is longer.
2. Check local rules. Some cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, Seattle, Portland (Oregon) and Washington, DC, add requirements. A few states, including California for many units after 12 months under AB 1482, Oregon, Washington and New Jersey, and a number of cities require a legal reason (just cause) and sometimes specific wording or relocation payments.
3. Count the days. Start from the day after delivery, and add extra days if you are mailing it and your state requires that. Some states require the tenancy to end on the last day of a rental period.
4. Fill in the template with the names of every adult tenant on the lease, the full address and the move-out date.
5. Sign it, make a copy, and deliver it by a method your state accepts.
This page is general information, not legal advice.
Checklist before you send it
- Date of the notice
- All tenant names exactly as on the lease
- Full address with unit number
- Clear end date that gives the full required period
- Reason, if your state or city requires one
- What happens to the deposit, and a request for a forwarding address
- Signature and contact details of the landlord or agent
Delivery and proof
Most states accept hand delivery to the tenant. Many also allow leaving it with an adult at the home and mailing a copy, or posting it on the door and mailing a copy. Some allow certified mail on its own. Write down who delivered it, how, and when, or fill in a proof of service form. Keep a copy. If the case reaches court, the judge will ask how the notice was served.
Common mistakes
- Too short a notice period, or a miscounted end date
- Names missing or misspelled
- No reason given in a just-cause area
- Delivered only by text or email when the law requires paper
- Extra threats or conditions that aren't in the lease, such as threatening to change the locks
What happens after you serve it
If the tenant moves out on time, inspect the unit and return the deposit with any itemized deductions within your state's deadline. If the tenant stays, the next step is an eviction case in court. Changing the locks or cutting off utilities is illegal in nearly every state.
If you'd rather not draft it yourself, our form fills in your state's notice period and produces a print-ready PDF.
Free notice to vacate template (landlord to tenant)
NOTICE TO VACATE Date: [DATE OF NOTICE] To: [TENANT FULL NAME] and [CO-TENANT FULL NAME], and all other occupants Premises: [STREET ADDRESS], Unit [UNIT NUMBER], [CITY], [STATE] [ZIP] You are hereby notified that your [month-to-month / week-to-week] tenancy of the premises described above is terminated effective [MOVE-OUT DATE]. This notice gives you [NUMBER] days' notice, as required by [STATE] law [AND/OR section NUMBER of your rental agreement]. On or before [MOVE-OUT DATE], you must move out, remove all of your belongings, and return possession of the premises and all keys, access cards and remotes to [LANDLORD OR AGENT NAME]. [IF REQUIRED: This termination is based on the following reason: (STATE THE REASON AND ANY REQUIRED STATEMENT OR RELOCATION ASSISTANCE).] Rent remains due as usual through [MOVE-OUT DATE]. Your rent for the final period is $[AMOUNT], due on [DATE]. After you move out, your security deposit will be returned, along with an itemized statement of any deductions, within the time required by [STATE] law. Please provide a forwarding address in writing. To schedule a move-out inspection or return keys, contact [LANDLORD OR AGENT NAME] at [PHONE] or [EMAIL]. If you do not move out by the date above, the landlord may file an eviction lawsuit. Landlord / Agent: [NAME] Signature: [SIGNATURE] Mailing address: [ADDRESS] PROOF OF DELIVERY I delivered this notice on [DATE] by [METHOD: personal delivery / left with an adult and mailed / posted and mailed / certified mail no. NUMBER]. Name: [NAME] Signature: [SIGNATURE]
Short notice to vacate template (tenant to landlord)
[DATE] To: [LANDLORD NAME], [LANDLORD ADDRESS] Re: Notice to vacate [STREET ADDRESS, UNIT], [CITY], [STATE] [ZIP] I am giving [NUMBER] days' notice that I will move out of the unit above. My last day will be [MOVE-OUT DATE]. I will return all keys by that date. Please send my security deposit to: [FORWARDING ADDRESS]. [TENANT NAME] [SIGNATURE] [PHONE / EMAIL]
How much notice a landlord gives, by state
Minimum written notice a landlord must give to end a month-to-month tenancy without a specific reason. In just-cause states a landlord needs a legal reason, so a no-reason notice does not work for most tenancies.
| State | Landlord 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 (cause usually required) | Cal. Civ. Code § 1946.1(c) |
| Colorado | 21 days (cause usually required) | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-40-107(1); § 38-12-1302 |
| Connecticut | 3 days | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23(a)-(c) |
| Delaware | 60 days | 25 Del. C. § 5106(d) |
| District of Columbia | Just cause required | D.C. Code § 42-3505.01 |
| Florida | 30 days | Fla. Stat. § 83.57(3) |
| Georgia | 60 days | O.C.G.A. § 44-7-7 |
| Hawaii | 45 days | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-71(a) |
| Idaho | 30 days | Idaho Code § 55-208(1) ("not less than one (1) month") |
| Illinois | 30 days | 735 ILCS 5/9-207(b) |
| Indiana | 30 days | Ind. Code § 32-31-1-1(a) ("one (1) month notice in writing") |
| 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); Ky. Rev. Stat. § 383.195 (one month, non-URLTA jurisdictions) |
| Louisiana | 10 days | La. Civ. Code art. 2728(2) |
| Maine | 30 days | 14 M.R.S. § 6002(1) |
| Maryland | 60 days | Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-402(c)(2)(i) |
| Massachusetts | 30 days | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, §§ 12-13 |
| Michigan | 30 days | MCL 554.134(1); MCL 600.5714(1)(c)(iii) |
| Minnesota | 30 days | Minn. Stat. § 504B.135 |
| Mississippi | 30 days | Miss. Code Ann. § 89-8-19(3) |
| Missouri | 30 days | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.060.1, .4(1) |
| Montana | 30 days | Mont. Code Ann. § 70-24-441(2) |
| Nebraska | 30 days | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1437(2) |
| Nevada | 30 days | Nev. Rev. Stat. § 40.251(1)(a)(2), (1)(b)(1)(II) |
| New Hampshire | 30 days (cause usually required) | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§ 540:2, I; 540:3, II |
| New Jersey | Just cause required | N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:18-61.1 (no-cause termination barred); § 2A:18-56(b) (one month, exempt properties only) |
| New Mexico | 30 days | N.M. Stat. Ann. § 47-8-37(B) |
| New York | 30 days | N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 226-c(2) (applied to NYC month-to-month tenancies by § 232-a) |
| North Carolina | 7 days | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-14 |
| North Dakota | 30 days | N.D. Cent. Code § 47-16-15(2) |
| Ohio | 30 days | Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.17(B) |
| Oklahoma | 30 days | Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 111(A) |
| Oregon | 30 days (cause usually required) | Or. Rev. Stat. § 90.427(3)(b) (only during the first year of occupancy) |
| Pennsylvania | 15 days | 68 P.S. § 250.501(b) |
| 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 | 15 days | Utah Code Ann. § 78B-6-802(1)(b)(i) |
| Vermont | 60 days | 9 V.S.A. § 4467(c)(1)(A) (no written rental agreement); § 4467(e) (written agreement: 30 days) |
| Virginia | 30 days | Va. Code Ann. § 55.1-1253(A) |
| Washington | Just cause required | Rev. Code Wash. § 59.18.650(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 | Not set by statute | - |
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
Is a free notice to vacate template legally valid?
A template is valid if the finished notice meets your state's rules: the right period, the right content, and proper delivery. The template is the starting point. The details you fill in are what make it valid.
Does a notice to vacate need to be notarized?
Usually not. A signature and a record of delivery are what most states require.
What's the difference between a notice to vacate and an eviction notice?
People use the terms loosely. A notice to vacate ends the tenancy. An eviction is the court case that follows if the tenant doesn't leave. Only a court can order a tenant out.
Can I write the notice by hand?
Yes, in most places a clear, signed handwritten notice is fine. A typed notice is easier to read and copy.
Should I include the reason?
Only where your state or city requires one, or when the notice is for unpaid rent or a lease violation. In just-cause areas, the reason must be stated and must be one the law allows.