Notice to Vacate

Notice to vacate: state the vacate date, the notice period given and how the notice was delivered.

Create my document

Preview free$2.99/month or $19.99/year membershipCancel any time

A notice to vacate tells a tenant when they must leave and how much notice they are being given. The notice period is the number the whole document exists to communicate, so it is stated plainly and checked against the dates you give.

Who this document is for

  • A landlord ending a month-to-month tenancy
  • A landlord who will not renew a lease that is expiring
  • A property being sold or taken back for the owner's use

When to use something else

Using the wrong document is the most expensive mistake in this category, because the paperwork looks complete while doing the wrong thing. This is not the document for:

  • Rent arrears — start with a Late Rent Notice
  • A lease violation — that is a different notice with different requirements
  • A tenant telling a landlord they are leaving — that is a tenant's notice

What the generated document contains

  • Landlord and tenant names, and the property address
  • The date the tenant must vacate
  • The notice period given, as entered
  • The basis for the notice
  • A request for a forwarding address for the deposit
  • How the notice was delivered, and a signature block

State and local requirements

Requirements for this document differ by state, and sometimes by city. Notice periods, deposit limits, permitted fees and required disclosures are all set locally, and a number that is correct in one state can be wrong in the next one.

This page does not state those figures. The questionnaire asks you for the values that apply to your tenancy and prints what you enter, so the document reflects your situation rather than a national average. Start with the state lease pages for the jurisdiction you are renting in.

For these states the notice period to end a month-to-month tenancy has been read at the official source, and each page gives the period with its statute:

ArizonaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsin

How it works

  1. Answer the guided questions
  2. Review the readiness check, which flags contradictions before you pay
  3. Preview the finished document free
  4. Become a member and download the PDF and Word file. Cancel any time.

What to have ready

You will need answers to these 11 required questions, spread over 5 steps. The questionnaire also has optional questions, and some answers lead to follow-ups. Your answers are kept in this browser for 24 hours, so you can come back and finish (how saving works).

  1. Landlord
    • Who is the landlord?
    • What is the landlord's mailing address?
  2. Tenant
    • Tenant name?
    • Rental address?
  3. Move-out date
    • Notice date?
    • Date tenant must vacate?
    • Notice period given (days)?
    • Reason?
  4. Delivery
    • How will this notice be delivered?
    • Remind tenant to provide forwarding address for deposit return?
  5. State
    • Which state is this document for?

Frequently asked questions

  • Notice periods are set by state law and sometimes by local ordinance, and they can depend on how long the tenant has lived there. You enter the period. LeaseCraft checks it against your dates and, where it has verified the period for ending a month-to-month tenancy in your state, refuses a shorter one. Check your lease and any local rules too.

  • No. A notice to vacate ends a tenancy on a stated date. An eviction is a court process that follows when a tenant does not leave. Serving this notice correctly is usually a precondition for anything further.

  • Whether a reason is required depends on the jurisdiction and the type of tenancy. The document records the basis you select so the notice is internally consistent with what you told the tenant.

  • Ask for a forwarding address in the notice. Deposit return deadlines run from move-out, and not having an address is a common reason landlords miss them. Use a <a href="/security-deposit-return-letter">Security Deposit Return Letter</a> when the tenancy ends.

  • The notice becomes the evidence that the tenancy was properly ended, which is why the delivery method and dates are recorded in it. What follows is a court process, and this document is not a substitute for one.

Ready to create your document?

Preview free, then download the editable Word and PDF with your membership.

Create my document