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Jennifer Farrington is a contributing writer at USA TODAY Homefront. She is a Florida native who has more than a decade of writing and editing experience. Jennifer has covered everything from real estate and insurance to personal finance and entertainment.
A notice to vacate is written documentation informing your landlord when and why you’ll be moving out.
It should include your old and new addresses, name, date and reason for moving out.
Provide a moving-out notice to your landlord at least 30 days before your lease ends.
When your lease approaches its expiration, your landlord will offer you the option to extend it or provide you with a move-out date. If you choose to relocate, you’ll want to provide proper notice to your landlord — and your lease agreement usually requires this.
Tell your landlord you’re moving out with a written notice to vacate, or a letter informing your landlord when and why you’re seeking new residence.
“If there were landlord-caused problems during the tenancy, it is a good idea to raise those in the letter, especially if you are being forced out because of the issues,” explained Joseph Tobener, a tenant rights lawyer in Northern California. Examples include “major repair issues, nuisance neighbors, noise, harassment, discrimination and retaliation,” he said.
You’ll also want to include specific information in this letter, such as your full name and current and new addresses. This lets your landlord know where to send correspondence after you move out, such as your security deposit or statements regarding property damage or outstanding expenses.
You should provide your notice to vacate to your landlord at least 30 days before your lease ends, advised Tobener. But that doesn’t mean you have to wait until the 30-day mark if you have prior plans to vacate.
The more notice your landlord has, the more time they’ll have to deep clean the rental unit and find a replacement tenant, explained Eric L. Toscano, founder and CEO of Tenant Law Group, PC in San Francisco.
“In our experience, the more notice a tenant can give, the more likely the tenant will recover their full residential security deposit without a fight,” added Toscano.
Ultimately, refer to your lease agreement for the specific timeline your landlord requires. If your landlord didn’t specify a notice period, follow the timeline outlined in your state’s laws regarding notice to vacate.
In Georgia, for example, tenants must give landlords at least a 30-day notice to move out. However, that time frame may be extended if the lease stipulates a longer period. In Florida, tenants bound by yearly leases must provide three months’ notice, while those under month-to-month agreements must give 15 days’ notice.
A notice to vacate should have a definite move-out date and be signed by you, the tenant. It should also contain the following pieces of information:
This is especially important for long-distance moves when it would be more difficult to reclaim lost mail regarding the end of your lease.
The letter is also an opportunity to ask your landlord for a walk-through, preferably within three days before the actual move. “The idea of the walk-through is to give the landlord a chance to point out anything that needs to be fixed,” advised Tobener.
He also suggested having the landlord perform the final inspection when the unit is empty, with a “friend or colleague present who can act as an independent witness of what the landlord said about the condition of the unit.”
Come move-out day — the day you hand over the keys — Tobener said it’s a good idea “to take good video of the entire unit without sound.”
Writing the actual notice isn’t difficult as long as you know what to include and follow the expert-guided template below. Just remember to send it on time to avoid financial consequences such as forfeiting your security deposit.
Typically, landlords request tenants to provide a notice to vacate, allowing them to plan effectively and rent out the unit to a new tenant with minimal downtime. Your rental agreement should outline how far in advance you must give notice for moving out.
If you’re departing earlier than your lease expiration date and must break your lease, note any financial penalties you must pay and how to remit payment.
Service members who receive a deployment order lasting 90 days or more can typically terminate their lease without penalty, according to the Office of Financial Readiness. However, you should still provide a notice to vacate to your landlord, preferably at least 30 days before deploying.
Once you determine the time frame for submitting your notice to vacate, it’s time to prepare the document via legible handwriting or word processing. Additionally, it’s advisable to consult your property manager to confirm whether you must fill out any designated forms required by your landlord alongside your notice to vacate.
Renters can deliver a notice to vacate to their landlord via email with an attached document or through certified mail. If opting for certified mail, keep a copy of the letter for your records and retain receipts and delivery confirmation. Additionally, be mindful of the delivery time frame, as you don’t want the mail to arrive late and breach the terms of your lease.
Remember to file all paperwork related to notifying your landlord of your intention to relocate with your lease documents. This ensures you have easy access to them if needed in the future.
A notice to vacate requires specific information. Tobener provided insight into what should be included in this template:
Date [date letter is being submitted]
Dear [landlord name],
This notice shall serve as [tenant(s) name] [number of days of notice (e.g., 30 days’)] notice of [my/our] intent to permanently vacate [your address and unit number] on [date you intend on vacating the unit]. We are vacating because [reason for your move-out]. Under the law, you are required to conduct a security deposit walk-through before we vacate. Please let us know if you are available on [add date 3 days before your move-out date].”
Below you’ll find our new address to which you can mail correspondence/the security deposit.
[forwarding address]
[sign your full name]
[phone number]
Leases are binding agreements, and failing to follow the terms, including notifying your landlord of your intent to move out, could cost you financially. If you remain in your unit through the end of the lease and fail to notify your landlord of your intentions to move out — you’ll likely forfeit your security deposit.
Early termination of your lease without providing the required notice can complicate matters. In such cases, the landlord may interpret your departure as abandonment of the property, potentially holding you financially responsible for any months it remains unrented during the remainder of your lease.
That said, you are not required to provide a notice to vacate in certain circumstances. “If the landlord fails to provide habitable premises or ensure the tenant’s quiet enjoyment of the rental property, the landlord has broken the lease and relieved the tenant of the obligation to pay rent. In other words, the tenant has no notice requirement,” explained Toscano.
However, Toscano doesn’t recommend skipping your notice to vacate. “Even in the circumstances of a hostile relationship between a landlord and a tenant, we advise tenants to give landlords as much advance notice as possible because it increases the likelihood that the tenant will be able to recover their security deposit.”
If your lease term was pleasant, you might wish to thank your landlord or property manager when communicating your intention to move out. Even if you don’t intend to rent from them again, expressing your gratitude can go a long way in recovering your security deposit or having a positive reference for your next landlord.
You might also consider purchasing a thoughtful card and a small gift, such as a fruit basket, as a token of appreciation for their efforts.
Writing and submitting a notice to vacate is an important step in the process of moving out of your rental. It can help remove some of the stress of this transitional period and allow you to focus on other considerations for your move.
If this is your first time moving, watch for hidden expenses and learn to make a moving budget. Consider following a moving checklist to prevent yourself from leaving anything behind, forgetting to tune up your car or packing your travel essentials in an inconvenient location.
Finally, hiring an apartment moving company simplifies the complicated logistics of any move. The best providers can handle lengthy walk-ups, wrangle your couch into the elevator, pack your belongings and generally provide small-move transport for your items across long distances.
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Mike Miller is an editor for USA TODAY Homefront, covering topics that range from moving to gutters and gutter guards. He lives in North Carolina, but as a Minnesota transplant he has firsthand knowledge of long-distance movers’ pain points. Mike has written about home and life insurance providers for Marketwatch, This Old House and Architectural Digest. He also edited three national consumer magazines about natural health and wellness — Alternative Medicine, Eating Naturally and Natural Solutions. He has a BS in creative advertising with a certificate for technology, arts and media. In his spare time, Mike rides his motorcycle, plays with his two cats and spends time with his wife and twins.
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