Lease Termination Letter: How and When to Use One

A lease termination letter formally ends a tenancy before its natural conclusion, or gives official notice of non-renewal. It's a different document from a notice to quit — a termination letter is typically used when there's an agreed or lawful basis to end the tenancy, rather than as the start of an eviction for a violation.

Common reasons to send one

Lease termination letters are typically used for:

• • Ending a month-to-month tenancy (by either landlord or tenant)
• • Mutual agreement to end a fixed-term lease early
• • Landlord's planned non-renewal of a lease reaching its end date (where permitted)
• • Military deployment or other legally protected early termination (e.g., under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act)

What it needs to include

A termination letter should state:

• • Tenant name(s) and property address
• • The specific termination date
• • The reason for termination, if legally required or otherwise useful to document
• • Any move-out requirements (condition expectations, key return, forwarding address for the security deposit)
• • Reference to the specific lease clause or law allowing the termination, if applicable

Notice period matters most

The single biggest thing to get right is the notice period — for month-to-month tenancies, most states require 30 days' notice, though some require more, and local rent control ordinances can extend it further. For a fixed-term lease you're ending early by mutual agreement, the notice period is whatever you and the tenant agree to, but put it in writing regardless.