Lease termination letter template: free in Word, or sign it online

What the template includes

• Three notice options: tenant leaving, landlord not renewing, month to month
• End date with the notice days counted
• Optional reason or early termination fee
• Move-out inspection and key return
• Deposit return and forwarding address
• Contact for showings
• Signature of receipt

What you fill in

How it gets signed

1. 1Choose “Use this template”, fill in the fields and read the full lease termination letter once more.
2. 2Send it by WhatsApp or email. The other party opens the link on their phone without an account.
3. 3They tap the brown bar at the bottom that says “Sign as …” and draw their signature with a finger.
4. 4Everyone gets the signed PDF with its signature certificate. Anyone can check it at signsolu.com/verificar.

Before signing, each signer agrees to sign electronically. The screen links to the electronic signature disclosure the ESIGN Act asks for.

The receipt signature is optional. The certificate records when the notice was sent and opened. If your lease asks for notice by mail, send a copy by mail too.

Your first ten documents are free and need no card.

Got another document from someone as a PDF or a phone photo? Sign documents online for free, with no account.

What the law says

The notice period comes from the lease and from state law. Fixed-term leases often require notice of non-renewal 30 to 60 days before the end. Month-to-month tenancies usually need a full rental period of notice. Some states set special rights to end a lease early, for example for military service or domestic violence.

Federal law lets servicemembers end a residential lease early in certain cases, such as a permanent change of station, by written notice. If that applies, mention it in clause 3.

The ESIGN Act treats electronic notice as valid when the lease allows notice by email. The certificate gives a dated record.

Tenant to landlord or landlord to tenant

Tenants use this letter to move out at the end of the lease, to end a month-to-month tenancy or to use an early termination clause. Landlords use it to say they will not renew.

Delete the options that do not apply in clause 1 and clause 3. One clear option avoids confusion.

How to count the notice

1. 1Find the notice clause in your lease.
2. 2Check your state’s minimum notice.
3. 3Use whichever is longer.
4. 4Count from the day the other side receives the letter.
5. 5End on the last day of a rental period when the tenancy is month to month.

Breaking a lease early

Ending a fixed-term lease early without a right to do so can leave the tenant owing rent until the unit is re-rented. Many states require landlords to try to re-rent. Read the early termination clause before you send this letter.

A worked example

Chloe’s lease ends on December 31 and needs 60 days of notice. On October 21 she sends this letter with the move-out date and her forwarding address.

The property manager signs to confirm receipt the same day. The inspection is set for December 30, and the deposit arrives within the state deadline.

Getting the deposit back

• Clean the unit and repair any damage you caused.
• Take dated photos on move-out day.
• Return all keys and get a receipt.
• Give a forwarding address in writing, as clause 5 does.

Mistakes to avoid

• Notice by phone. Most leases require written notice.
• Counting from the day you send. Count from receipt unless the lease says otherwise.
• No forwarding address. The deposit has nowhere to go.

Sample lines for common cases

• Job move: “I have accepted a job in Denver and will move out on December 31, as my lease allows with 60 days’ notice.”
• Buying a home: “I am buying a home and will not renew my lease when it ends on December 31.”
• Landlord selling: “The owner plans to sell the property, so the lease will not be renewed after December 31.”
• Military orders: “I have received permanent change of station orders, attached, and am ending my lease under federal law.”
• Early termination clause: “I am using clause 18 of the lease and will pay the fee of two months’ rent.”

Use the line that fits and delete the rest. Attach any document you mention, such as orders or the lease clause.

After you send the notice

Expect the landlord to ask for showings. Your lease sets how much notice they must give before entering.

Keep paying rent until the end date. The deposit covers damage, not the last month, unless the landlord agrees in writing.

Landlords sending notice

A landlord who does not want to renew should send this letter well before the deadline. State the end date and the inspection plan, and remind the tenant how to give a forwarding address.

Some cities limit when a landlord can refuse to renew. Check local rules before you send it.

Checklist before you send it

• The end date respects the notice period.
• The lease number of days is quoted in clause 2.
• The forwarding address is complete.
• You chose one option and deleted the others.

Then send it and keep the signed PDF with your lease and your move-in photos.

Before you sign

• What happens when a tenant breaks a lease
• Electronic signature for real estate

Other templates

• Lease agreement
• Month-to-month lease
• Sublease agreement
• Contract termination letter
• Simple lease agreement