How To Tell Your Landlord You’re Moving Out

It is really important that when it comes to the end of your lease, or you want to leave the rental property that you do so properly, and this means writing a letter to the landlord, known as a letter of notice.

Why is it so important to give your notice in writing, why not just tell them?

You must give your landlord written notice of when you want to end your tenancy so that all parties have written confirmation, and evidence should you need it, of your intent to vacate the property.

There can be no misunderstandings if you put everything in writing and it protects both you and the landlord.

If there was even a small misunderstanding about your moving out date you could end up paying rent or council tax bills even after you have moved out.

Not only that, but you will want to make sure that you get your full deposit back, so you must give the full notice, in writing, as stipulated in your tenancy agreement.

You may also need a reference from your current landlord if you intend to rent another property so it is best to end the tenancy the correct way.

How do You Know How Much Notice to Give Your Landlord?

How much notice you must give and when you have to give it, will depend upon the type of tenancy agreement you have.

There are two types of tenancy agreement:

A Fixed-Term Tenancy

A fixed-term tenancy will end on a specific date. You can only end this type of lease early if the rental agreement states that you can, known as a ‘break clause’ or if your landlord agrees that you can leave early.

A fixed-term tenancy agreement usually requires a full month’s notice.

A Rolling Tenancy

A rolling tenancy continues indefinitely from month to month or week to week. You can end this type of tenancy at any time by giving the correct amount of notice to the landlord. If your rolling tenancy runs month to month you must give a months’ notice and you must give 4 weeks’ notice if your tenancy runs from week to week.

Read through your tenancy agreement thoroughly to ensure that you comply with the end of tenancy requirements, it will clearly state what you should do and when.

When Do You Give Notice to Your Landlord?

It is only fair that you let your landlord know that you do not want to renew your tenancy or that you intend to end the rental agreement.

The notice letter should be given to your landlord on or before the first day of the one-month notice period.

The notice period you give, the day you will move out, should be the date that your agreement expires. If on a rolling contract that expires for example on the 1^st of each month then your notice to leave would state that you will move out on the last or first day of the month.

Even if your tenancy agreement states that you do not need to give notice at the end of a fixed-term tenancy it is still best to do so in writing. This will prevent any issues further down the line.

When giving notice to your landlord ensure that you get confirmation in writing that they have received it.

Use your notice period wisely, there is an awful lot of work to do when moving home. You will find lots of useful information about moving home in our home moving blog which will help make your home move easier and save you money.

How to Write an End of Tenancy Letter to Landlord

When writing a letter to your landlord to terminate your rental agreement it is important that your letter is clear and concise.

An original of the notice letter must be posted to the landlord but you could also email it to them as well. Send the letter by registered post so that you have proof of posting and proof that they received the notice letter when they sign for it.

An example of an end of lease notice letter to the landlord:

(Your landlords’ name and address)                                                     (Your name and address)

Date

Re: Notice of Intent to Vacate

Dear (landlords name)

Please accept this letter as written notice that I intend to vacate (your address) at the end of my tenancy agreement which is (the date you move out), thereby giving you (amount of notice) notice as per the tenancy agreement.

Please confirm that you have received this letter of notice and accept the end of tenancy date (insert date) as correct.

I will ensure that the property is cleaned as per our contract at the end of the lease.

I would appreciate it if you would attend the property on (date you are moving out) so that we can agree that no items on the inventory are damaged or missing and that I have fulfilled my obligations so that I may receive back my security deposit in full.

For your records my new address will be:

Kind Regards

(your name)

Moving Out of a Rented Property

When preparing to move out of your rented home be sure that you have read and fully understand your obligations for vacating the place.

This will often include not only a set notice period but that you get the property professionally cleaned.

Get a receipt from the cleaners for the work they do so that you have proof that you have fulfilled your obligations.

If your tenancy agreement does not stipulate that the property must be professionally cleaned you may like to read How to Deep Clean a House When Moving Home which includes in-depth instructions on how to deep clean every part of your home and even includes some recipes for natural cleaning products which will save you a fortune in cleaning products.

You should also make sure that you make good any damage that you have caused such as filling nail holes where you have hung pictures.

Go through the inventory that you were given when you rented your home and ensure that all the items listed are there and in satisfactory condition.

Be sure to follow the tenancy agreement to the letter, you want to ensure that you get your full security deposit back.

It is also a good idea to photograph or video the property and contents when you leave so that you have proof of the condition you left it in.

Take photos of the electric and water meters too ensuring the time and date stamp are switched on on your device.

Ensure that you give all copies of the keys back to the landlord and ask them to confirm in writing that they have received them.

You should have your mail redirected to ensure that you receive any important letters and to help stop you from becoming a victim of identity theft.

You can use this change of address checklist to ensure that you do not forget to notify anyone of your new address.

Notify the utility companies of the end of your lease date and what your forwarding address will be so that you get the final bills and don’t end up paying for services after you have left.

Must read: How to Move Out of a Rental Property in which we go through in far more detail the steps to ensure a stress-free end of your tenancy.

If you experience any issues that you cannot resolve with your landlord or have any questions about your tenancy agreement then you can contact your local citizens’ advice bureau for help and advice.

• You can find the contact details for your local citizens advice office at www.citizensadvice.org.uk
• Citizens Adviceline England: 0800 144 8848
• Citizens Adviceline Wales: 0800 702 2020
• Citizens Advice Scotland: 0131 550 1000
• Advice NI: 0800 915 4604

Good luck with your move and if you need the services of a good removal company to make your move cheaper, quicker, and easier just fill out this quick quote form to get an estimate for your home move.