As a landlord or landlady you will inevitably need to terminate a lease with your tenants at some point. Whether you are planning to renovate, no longer want to rent a property on a monthly basis, or wish to evict a tenant for violating lease terms, it’s essential that you know how to write a 30 day notice to vacate.
WHAT WE’LL COVER:
- Chapter 1: What Is a Notice to Vacate Letter?
- Chapter 2: Why You Should Provide a Termination Notice
- Chapter 3: How to Draft a Lease Termination Letter
- Chapter 4: Important Info to Include in Your Letter
- Chapter 5: When Tenants Should Vacate By
- Chapter 6: Free Landlord 30-Day Notice Sample Letter Template
- Chapter 7: Tips for Terminating a Tenant’s Lease Early
Many landlords know that their tenants fear receiving such letters, especially when they do not expect them. If you plan on maintaining a good relationship with your tenants, it’s very important that you write your notice to vacate in a clear and easy to understand way. You should also ensure that you use a suitable 30 day notice template, and send this letter in a timely way.
The sooner you notify your tenants that they need to leave, the sooner you can continue to manage your property according to your own rules and standards. With that said, you can legally only issue a termination of lease at suitable times so as not to risk legal action.
Download our free landlord 30-day notice to vacate a property sample letter
What Is a 30-Day Notice to Vacate Letter?
A notice to vacate letter is any notification that indicates the premature ending of a lease or the end of a month-to-month rental agreement. The letter can be written up by a landlord and issued to a tenant, or the other way around. At the end of the day, the lease in question will be ended either way.
Depending on the circumstances, advance warning of 90 or 60 days may be given, but 30 days is the standard. In extreme cases, 3 days notice may be given, but this is usually due to a breach in contract and can have legal ramifications.
Download this 30-day notice for tenants to vacate example letter
If you plan on issuing notice to a tenant you should also be aware of the differences between termination of lease and eviction. Termination could be a positive move – a good example is a situation in which you plan to sell the property and want to let your tenants know in good time.
Eviction, on the other hand, refers to legal action that must be taken when a tenant does not accept the expired validity of their lease contract. This can sometimes be an issue when a termination letter is sent to a tenant outlining why they are being asked to leave your property.
Why You Should Provide a Termination Notice
Most end of lease letters can be separated into 2 categories: end of lease agreement letters to tenants from landlords, and end of lease letters from landlords to tenants. In this article, we will focus on end of lease letters from landlords to tenants.
You may need to issue a 30 day notice to vacate in these scenarios:
- When the lease will not be renewed.
- For ending month-to-month lease agreement.
- When the terms of the lease have been broken.
- If your property is due to be demolished, renovated, sold, or is otherwise unfit for rental.
- When the lease is set to be terminated (offer a date)
- Why the lease is being terminated
- If there is anything the tenant can do to avoid termination
- How long the tenant will be given to uphold their end of the lease
Termination of lease letters do not have to be very long, but they do need to be comprehensive and clear. There are many templates available online to help you out, just as there is contract management software that makes lease administration and organization easy.
Some tenants may take your notice as an eviction, so you may wish to consider adding in your letter that it is not an eviction, but simply a termination letter that requires 30 days of notice.
Without this information, your notice to vacate the premises will not be legally binding in a court of law. This can prove challenging should you need to evict tenants or to obtain late or missing rental payments from them.
Save time crafting an early lease-termination letter with our free sample letter.
When Tenants Should Vacate By
Possibly the most crucial piece of information your letter should contain is exactly when the lease will be terminated. If your tenant does not have a clear and proper understanding of when they are expected to vacate the property, it will be difficult for them to leave.
Considering that this is a 30 day notice to tenant document, you might be expecting that the lease termination date will be exactly 30 days from when the letter was sent. However, this is not entirely accurate.
In many states, the 30-day period must include a complete calendar month. This makes it likely that your notice period will be a little longer than 30 days. Some states also require landlords to give their tenants extra time in the case of certain situations. These situations can range from tenants moving into the property and the original lease not having been broken, to extra notice being given as detailed in the rental lease.
For these reasons, it is a great idea to plan ahead and send out your letters in a timely way with accurate dates thereon. Keeping your notices to vacate as accurate as possible is the key to winning eviction court cases should you need to.
Important Tips Terminating a Tenant’s Lease Early
Issuing a 30 day notice to vacate to your tenants for ending a lease over a breach or another similar issue is not overly challenging if you follow basic recommendations and guidelines, and are open to working with your tenants with a compassionate viewpoint.
A few basic tips for landlords to follow when terminating a lease prematurely include:
- Include all important information outlined in this article. As long as you have included all the necessary information as outlined by our template and guide, you will have a legally sound document that will assist you in gaining quick and painless possession of your property once more.
- Understand tenant rights and laws in your state. Bear in mind that when sending this kind of notice, every state will have its own laws about how much time you should give to your tenants. This will also depend on the reason for your lease termination. Be sure to check those laws and cross-reference them with your notice before sending your letter out.
- Use a reliable shipping carrier. It is essential to send your termination letter using a method that ensures that it will arrive at the intended time. Certified or tracked mail is the best way to ensure timeous delivery, and to obtain proof of delivery for yourself as well.
