Tenant's Letter Giving Notice to End Tenancy

This is a letter that can be used by a tenant to give notice to end a tenancy. This document can be used by tenants who are resident in properties in the United Kingdom.

The document provides a simple template that enables a tenant to give the necessary notice, request the deposit be repaid by preferred method, and to resolve outstanding issues such as vacation.

Please note that if the lease to be ended contains a provision requiring a notice period it may be necessary to comply with this period unless the landlord allows otherwise. There may also be provision in any lease agreement that notices must be served on the Landlord using a particular method (e.g. recorded delivery post, email etc) and this should be upheld when sending this document to the Landlord.

Where the tenant(s) is resident in Scotland and the lease was created after 1st December 2017, a tenant is only required to give a Landlord 28 days written notice. Where a lease was created before 1st December 2017, please refer to the tenancy agreement for the relevant notice period that must be complied with.

Please also note that this document cannot be used by a landlord. Instead, landlords usually need to comply with legal requirements prior to ending any tenancy and give notice in a legally prescribed form.

How to use this document

Once this document has been completed, it must be signed and posted it to the landlord. The letter should be sent as soon as possible after the tenant has decided to end the tenancy. It may be a good idea to send the letter by recorded delivery, or to otherwise keep some proof of postage.

Applicable Law

England and Wales

The applicable legislation will vary depending upon the type of tenancy agreement, but in most cases the Housing Act 1988 is likely to apply. In addition, for tenancies commencing after 6 April 2007, the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (as established by the Housing Act 2004, amended by the Localism Act 2011 and Deregulation Act 2015) will apply.

Scotland

The following legislation is applicable in Scotland: Housing (Scotland) Act 2006, Tenancy Deposit Schemes (Scotland) Regulations 2011 and The Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016.

Northern Ireland

The following legislation will be applicable in Northern Ireland: The Housing (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2011, Private Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order 2006, Rent Book Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007, and the Tenancy Deposit Schemes Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012.

Help from a lawyer

You can choose to consult a lawyer if you need help.

The lawyer can answer your questions or help you through the process. You will be offered this option when you complete the document.

How to modify the template

You fill out a form. The document is created before your eyes as you respond to the questions.

At the end, you receive it in Word and PDF formats. You can modify it and reuse it.