Ending the lease in writing?. Create a lease termination letter →
Usually not on your own. A fixed-term lease binds the landlord as much as the tenant, so you can't end it early just because you want the unit back, want to sell it vacant, or found a tenant willing to pay more. To end a lease before its end date you need one of these:
- A tenant breach that your state lets you terminate for, such as unpaid rent or a material lease violation, with the notice the statute requires.
- A written agreement with the tenant to end it early, often with something in return (a "cash for keys" deal).
- A clause in the lease itself that lets you end it early in a defined situation, if your state allows that clause.
A month-to-month tenancy is different: in most states you can end it with written notice, though California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado (after a year) and covered New York units add cause requirements. This guide walks through each route, the notice rules, and what not to do.
Fixed-term lease vs month-to-month
Start by identifying what you actually have.
- Fixed-term lease (for example, 12 months ending June 30): the tenant has the right to stay through the end date as long as they keep the lease terms. Your choices mid-term are the three routes above.
- Month-to-month tenancy: either side can usually end it with notice. Many fixed-term leases roll into month-to-month at the end, so a lease that "expired" two years ago may now be a periodic tenancy that needs proper notice.
- Lease about to end: if the term ends soon, the simplest legal move is often not to renew. Several states require advance notice even for that. New York requires 30, 60 or 90 days' written notice of non-renewal depending on how long the tenant has lived there (N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 226-c), and Virginia landlords with more than four units must give 60 days' written notice before a renewing lease ends (Va. Code § 55.1-1204(K)).
For a deeper comparison of the two lease types, see month-to-month vs annual leases.
Route 1: Ending the lease for a tenant's breach
If the tenant doesn't pay rent or breaks a material lease term, state law usually lets you end the tenancy, but only after a specific written notice and waiting period. The notice rules differ widely. For unpaid rent, a few examples from our dataset:
- California: a 3-day notice to pay rent or quit, counting only court days, that states the exact rent owed and how to pay (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1161(2)).
- New York: a written demand giving at least 14 days to pay (RPAPL § 711(2)).
- Virginia: a written notice giving 14 days to pay (Va. Code § 55.1-1245(F)).
- Pennsylvania: a 10-day notice to quit, unless the lease validly waives or shortens it (68 P.S. § 250.501).
For lease violations other than rent, many states give the tenant a chance to fix the problem first. Washington, for example, requires a 10-day notice to comply or vacate, and the tenancy can end only if the tenant doesn't cure in that time (RCW 59.12.030(4)). Our guide to handling a lease violation has a state-by-state table and notice templates, and the eviction guide covers what happens if the tenant still doesn't leave.
A notice that gives too few days or leaves out required content can restart the clock, so check your state page under landlord-tenant law by state before you serve anything.
Route 2: A mutual termination agreement
If the tenant hasn't done anything wrong, the cleanest way out of a fixed-term lease is to ask. Plenty of tenants will agree to leave early if the terms are fair, especially if they were already thinking of moving.
What to put in writing:
- The move-out date and the condition the unit should be in.
- That the lease ends on that date and neither side owes rent after it.
- What you're giving: waived rent for the final month, help with moving costs, a cash payment, or a neutral reference.
- How the security deposit will be handled. Your state's normal return deadline and itemization rules still apply after a mutual termination.
- Signatures from you and every adult tenant on the lease.
A "cash for keys" offer is just a mutual termination with a payment attached. Pay it at or after move-out, once the keys are back and the unit is empty, not up front. Keep the offer polite and optional; pressure or threats can turn a voluntary deal into a harassment claim.
You can document the agreement with a lease termination letter that both sides sign.
Route 3: An early-termination clause for the landlord
Some leases give the landlord a right to end early in a defined case, such as a sale of the property or the owner moving in, with a set notice period. Whether that clause holds up depends on your state and, in just-cause states, on whether the reason is on the statute's list. Write it into the lease at signing; you can't add it mid-term without the tenant agreeing in writing, typically through a lease amendment.
Don't assume a sale ends the lease. Unless your lease says otherwise and your state allows it, plan for the buyer to take the property with the tenant in place, and get advice before promising a buyer vacant possession.
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Ending a month-to-month tenancy
Most states let either side end a month-to-month tenancy with written notice. The period varies: 30 days in Arizona, Florida, Ohio and Virginia, 60 days for a Georgia landlord, seven days before the end of the month in North Carolina, and 30, 60 or 90 days in New York depending on the length of the tenancy.
| State | Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy | Details | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 30 days (either side) | Week-to-week (while rent is current): 14 days' written notice before the termination date. Month-to-month: 30 days before the rental due date named in the notice. | AS 34.03.290(a)-(b) |
| Arizona | 30 days (either side) | Week-to-week: 10 days' written notice before the termination date | A.R.S. § 33-1375 |
| Arkansas | 30 days (either side) | Week-to-week: 7 days' written notice before the termination date. Month-to-month: 30 days' written notice before the termination date. | Ark. Code Ann. § 18-17-704 — Attorney General summary ('one rental period's notice') |
| California | 30 days (either side) | Landlord must give 60 days if the tenant has lived in the unit 1 year or more (30 days if less than 1 year, or in certain sales to owner-occupants); tenant gives notice at least as long as the rental period (30 days for month-to-month). Under the Tenant Protection Act, after 12 months of occupancy a landlord also needs a just cause stated in the notice (Civ. Code § 1946.2). | Cal. Civ. Code § 1946.1(b)–(d) |
| Colorado | 21 days (either side) | Notice by tenancy length: under 1 week = 1 day; 1 week to under 1 month (or at will) = 3 days; 1 to under 6 months (month-to-month) = 21 days; 6 to under 12 months = 28 days; 1 year or longer = 91 days. Since Apr. 19, 2024, a landlord may not end or decline to renew a tenancy of a tenant who has lived there 12+ months without cause or a no-fault ground under C.R.S. § 38-12-1303, which mostly requires 90 days' written notice. Exempt: owner-occupied single-family, duplex or triplex, short-term rentals and employer housing. | C.R.S. § 13-40-107(1)-(2) |
| Connecticut | No state rule | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23(a) | |
| Delaware | 60 days (either side) | The 60 days start on the first day of the month after actual notice. Fixed-term leases: 60 days' written notice before expiration or the lease converts to month-to-month. Tenants may give 30 days' notice (from the first of the next month) for a job relocation over 30 miles, serious illness and other § 5314 grounds. | 25 Del. C. § 5106(c)–(d) |
| District of Columbia | Landlord 90 days · tenant 30 days | Just cause required: a D.C. housing provider cannot end a residential tenancy by notice alone, even after the lease expires, while the tenant pays rent. Notice depends on the ground: 30 days to cure a lease violation; 30 days after a court finds an illegal act (10 days for certain violent crimes in cases filed after Dec. 31, 2025); 90 days for owner move-in or sale to a buyer who will live there; 120 days for substantial rehabilitation and similar; 180 days for demolition or discontinuing housing use. Notices other than for nonpayment must also be filed with the Rent Administrator. Tenant: 30 days' written notice, expiring on the first day of the first month at least 30 days after the notice. | D.C. Code § 42-3505.54(a) |
| Florida | 30 days (either side) | Week-to-week 7 days; month-to-month 30 days; quarter-to-quarter 30 days; year-to-year 60 days; notice must be given before the end of the rental period. | Fla. Stat. § 83.57 |
| Georgia | Landlord 60 days · tenant 30 days | Applies to tenancies at will, including holdover tenancies where the landlord keeps accepting monthly rent | O.C.G.A. § 44-7-7 |
| Hawaii | Landlord 45 days · tenant 28 days | 120 days' landlord notice for demolition, condominium conversion or conversion to transient vacation rentals; 10 days for either side in tenancies shorter than month-to-month. A tenant given notice may leave any time in the last 45 days, paying prorated rent. | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-71 |
| Idaho | 30 days (either side) | Landlords must also give 30 days' written notice before not renewing a residential lease (§ 55-304(2)). | Idaho Code § 55-208 |
| Illinois | 30 days (either side) | Week-to-week: 7 days' written notice. Year-to-year: 60 days' written notice ending at the end of the year. | 735 ILCS 5/9-207 |
| Iowa | 30 days (either side) | Week-to-week: 10 days before the termination date. Terms longer than month-to-month: 30 days before the end of the term. | Iowa Code § 562A.34 |
| Kansas | 30 days (either side) | Week-to-week: 7 days' written notice. Month-to-month: notice must name a periodic rent-paying date at least 30 days after the other party receives it. A tenant on military orders may end a month-to-month tenancy on no more than 15 days' notice. | K.S.A. 58-2570(a)-(b) |
| Kentucky | 30 days (either side) | URLTA localities: either party gives written notice at least 30 days before the periodic rental date named in the notice; week-to-week 7 days (KRS 383.695). Non-URLTA areas: the landlord gives one month's written notice to end a tenancy at will (KRS 383.195); no statute sets the tenant's notice. | KRS 383.695 |
| Louisiana | 10 days (either side) | Month-to-month: written notice at least 10 calendar days before the end of the month. Week-to-month periods: 5 calendar days before the period ends. Periods longer than a month: 30 calendar days. A lease with no stated term is presumed month-to-month. | La. Civ. Code art. 2728 |
| Maine | 30 days (either side) | Tenancy at will (Maine's open-ended periodic tenancy): at least 30 days' written notice by either party; if rent is paid beyond the 30-day point, the notice must run to the paid-through date. A 7-day notice is allowed for listed causes such as rent 7+ days in arrears, substantial damage or nuisance (§ 6002(1)). | 14 M.R.S. § 6002 |
| Maryland | Landlord 60 days · tenant 30 days | Landlord: 60 days' written notice before the end of a month-to-month tenancy or a written lease term over one week; week-to-week 7 days (written lease) or 21 days (no written lease); year-to-year 90 days. Tenant: at least 30 days' notice (90 for year-to-year). Small landlords (fewer than 5 units, outside Baltimore City and Montgomery County) facing foreclosure may give 30 days. | Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-402(c) |
| Massachusetts | 30 days (either side) | Tenancy at will with monthly rent: notice equal to the rental interval or 30 days, whichever is longer, effectively ending on a rent day. Rent payable at intervals of three months or more: three months' written notice. Nonpayment: 14-day notice to quit. | M.G.L. c. 186, § 12 |
| Michigan | 30 days (either side) | Statute requires '1 month's notice'; where rent is payable at intervals under 3 months, notice equal to the interval between payments is enough (e.g., one week for weekly rent), and the tenancy ends one full payment interval after notice. Year-to-year: notice ends the tenancy one year after service. Nonpayment: 7-day notice to quit. | MCL 554.134 |
| Minnesota | 30 days (either side) | Written notice at least as long as the interval between rent due dates or three months, whichever is less — for monthly rent, one full rental period, received before (the day before) the final rental period begins. The lease may set a different period, but under § 504B.147 the landlord's notice may not be shorter than the tenant's. | Minn. Stat. § 504B.135 |
| Mississippi | 30 days (either side) | Week-to-week (weekly rent): 7 days' written notice. No notice is needed when the other party committed a substantial violation materially affecting health or safety (§ 89-8-19(4)). A tenancy with no definite term is week-to-week if rent is weekly, otherwise month-to-month. | Miss. Code Ann. § 89-8-19(3) (as amended by 2022 SB 2461, § 11) |
| Missouri | 30 days (either side) | Notice must state that the tenancy ends on a periodic rent-paying date at least one month after the notice is received; the AG reads this as a full rental period. Mobile home lot rented by a home owner: landlord must give at least 60 days, ending no sooner than 60 days from the next rent due date. | RSMo § 441.060 |
| Montana | 30 days (either side) | Week-to-week: 7 days' written notice before the termination date. Notice may be given at any time during the rental period; the tenancy ends on the date named, with rent apportioned day by day. | MCA § 70-24-441 |
| Nebraska | 30 days (either side) | Week-to-week: written notice at least 7 days before the termination date (§ 76-1437(1)). | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1437 |
| Nevada | 30 days (either side) | Week-to-week: 7 days. Tenants 60 or older or with a disability may request an extra 30 days to stay after a no-cause notice on a periodic tenancy other than week-to-week. | NRS 40.251 |
| New Hampshire | 30 days (either side) | Landlords of 'restricted property' (all residential rentals except an owner's single-family house when they own no more than 3, units in an owner-occupied building of 4 or fewer, and bank-foreclosed houses) may terminate only for statutory grounds; 7 days' notice suffices for nonpayment, substantial damage, or behavior threatening health or safety. A tenant leaving mid-period owes rent to the next due date unless the lease says otherwise. | RSA 540:2 |
| New Jersey | 30 days (either side) | Anti-Eviction Act properties: no termination without a listed good cause, each with its own notice (e.g. 3 days for disorderly conduct or damage, one month for lease or rule violations after a notice to cease, 2 months when the owner of a building of three or fewer units seeks to personally occupy a unit, 3 months to board up or comply with code citations). Owner-occupied premises with no more than two rental units: one month's notice to quit (2A:18-56(b)). | N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1 |
| New Mexico | 30 days (either side) | Week-to-week: written notice at least 7 days before the termination date (§ 47-8-37(A)). | NMSA 1978 § 47-8-37 |
| New York | 30 days (either side) | Landlord: 30 days if tenant has occupied < 1 year, 60 days if 1–2 years, 90 days if 2+ years (RPL § 226-c). Tenant: one month before the end of a monthly period (RPL § 232-b, outside NYC). | N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 226-c(2) |
| North Carolina | 7 days (either side) | Week-to-week: 2 days. Year-to-year: one month before end of the tenancy year. Manufactured-home space rentals: at least 60 days before end of the current rental period, regardless of term. | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-14 |
| North Dakota | 30 days (either side) | After a landlord's change-of-terms notice under § 47-16-07, the tenant may end the tenancy at month's end on at least 25 days' notice. A lease that converted to month-to-month after holdover or an unnoticed auto-renewal ends on the last day of a month with at least one calendar month's notice (§ 47-16-15(3), (5)). | N.D.C.C. § 47-16-15 |
| Ohio | 30 days (either side) | Week-to-week: 7 days' notice. Month-to-month notice must be given at least 30 days before the periodic rental (rent due) date. | Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.17(B) |
| Oklahoma | 30 days (either side) | Tenancies shorter than month-to-month: 7 days' written notice | 41 O.S. § 111 |
| Oregon | 30 days (either side) | Landlord 30-day no-cause notice only during the first year of occupancy. After the first year: only for tenant cause, or 90 days' notice for a qualifying landlord reason (demolition/conversion, major repairs, landlord or immediate-family occupancy, sale to a buyer who will live there) stating the reason and paying one month's rent (payment not required if landlord owns 4 or fewer units); 60 days with an extra month's rent for a qualifying sale. Owner-occupied 2-unit property: 60-day no-cause after year one, or 30 days for an accepted sale to a buyer who will occupy (90.427(8)(a)). Week-to-week: 10 days. | ORS 90.427(3)–(8) |
| Pennsylvania | 15 days (either side) | Year-to-year tenancies also renew unless 15 days' notice is given before the term ends (lease of one year or less); a landlord ending a lease term of more than one year must give 30 days. | 68 P.S. § 250.501(a)-(b) |
| Rhode Island | 30 days (either side) | Week-to-week: 10 days. Year-to-year: 3 months before the end of the occupation year. Notice must be substantially in the form in § 34-18-56(c). | R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-37 |
| South Carolina | 30 days (either side) | Week-to-week: 7 days' written notice | S.C. Code § 27-40-770 |
| South Dakota | 30 days (either side) | Notice must be at least as long as the rental period, capped at one month (e.g. one week for week-to-week). | SDCL § 43-32-15 |
| Tennessee | 30 days (either side) | Week-to-week: 10 days' written notice before the termination date (§ 66-28-512(a)). URLTA counties only. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-512(b) |
| Texas | 30 days (either side) | One month's notice (tenancy ends on the later of the date in the notice or one month after notice is given); for rent periods shorter than a month, notice equal to the rent period. A signed agreement can set a different period or waive notice. | Tex. Prop. Code § 91.001 |
| Utah | 15 days (either side) | Tenancy at will: 5 calendar days' notice (§ 78B-6-802(1)(b)(ii)). Notice must end the tenancy at the end of a rental period (e.g. end of the month). | Utah Code § 78B-6-802(1)(b) |
| Vermont | Landlord 60 days · tenant 30 days | Landlord, no cause, monthly rent, no written agreement: 60 days (tenancy 2 years or less) or 90 days (over 2 years) (§ 4467(c)(1)). Written rental agreement: 30 days (2 years or less) or 60 days (over 2 years) before the end of the term (§ 4467(e)). Weekly rent: 21 days without a written agreement, 7 days with one. Shared living space in the owner's home: 15 days monthly / 7 days weekly (§ 4467(h)). Burlington: 90/120 days for no-cause notices without a written agreement. Tenant: one full rental period unless a written agreement says otherwise (§ 4456(d)). | 9 V.S.A. § 4467(c), (e), (f), (h) |
| Virginia | 30 days (either side) | Week-to-week: 7 days before next rent due date. 30-day notice runs to the next rent due date unless the lease sets a different period. Owners of multifamily premises not renewing the greater of 20 or 50% of month-to-month tenancies within 30 days must give 60 days' notice. | Va. Code § 55.1-1253(A), (B) |
| Washington | Landlord 90 days · tenant 20 days | Just cause required: a landlord cannot end a month-to-month tenancy just by giving notice. Notice depends on the cause: 14 days (nonpayment), 10 days (cure lease violation), 3 days (waste/nuisance/unlawful activity), 20 days (owner-shared unit; sexual harassment), 30 days (condemned unit; application fraud; end of transitional housing program), 60 days (legitimate business/economic reason; 4+ violations in 12 months; sex-offender registration; no-cause end of an initial 6-12 month lease that would otherwise roll to month-to-month), 90 days (owner/family move-in; sale of single-family home), 120 days (demolition, substantial rehab, change of use, condo conversion). Tenant: 20 days before end of rental period. | RCW 59.18.650 |
| West Virginia | 30 days (either side) | Notice must cover one full rental period before the end of a period (for month-to-month, a full month ending on the day before a rent due date). Year-to-year: written notice at least three months before the end of the year. Week-to-week: one full week. Does not apply where the parties agreed to another notice period. | W. Va. Code § 37-6-5 |
| Wisconsin | 28 days (either side) | Rent payable more often than monthly (e.g. weekly): notice at least equal to one rent-paying period. Year-to-year: may end only at the end of the rental year. Agricultural year-to-year: 90 days. Notice must end the tenancy at the end of a rental period. | Wis. Stat. § 704.19 |
| Wyoming | No state rule | Wyo. Stat. §§ 34-2-128, 34-2-129 (holdover = tenancy by sufferance; renewal only by written contract) |
Generated from the MakeLease state-law dataset (49 jurisdictions, statutes last checked 2026-10-30). Researched and cited by MakeLease · not yet attorney-reviewed. City and county rules can be stricter.
Just-cause states
In several states the notice period is only half the rule. You also need a reason the statute accepts:
- California: once the Tenant Protection Act applies, a landlord must state a just cause to end the tenancy, and must give 60 days' notice if the tenant has lived there a year or more (Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1946.1, 1946.2).
- Oregon: after the first year of occupancy, only for tenant cause or a qualifying landlord reason, with 90 days' notice and, for landlords with five or more units, one month's rent paid to the tenant (ORS 90.427).
- Washington: only for one of the causes listed in RCW 59.18.650, with notice tied to the cause (for example, 90 days for owner move-in or the sale of a single-family home) (RCW 59.18.650).
- Colorado: once the tenant has lived there 12 months or more, a legal cause or a no-fault ground is required, usually with 90 days' notice (C.R.S. §§ 38-12-1302, 38-12-1303).
- New York: units covered by the Good Cause Eviction Law have their own limits, and every lease and non-renewal notice must say whether the unit is covered (N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 231-c).
Oregon added a twist in 2026: if you give a fixed-term tenant a 90-day qualifying-landlord-reason notice, the tenant may give their own written notice to leave on any date at least 30 days later, even mid-term, and you can't charge an early-termination fee or rent for the time after they move out (ORS 90.372).
When you're ready to give notice, you can fill in and print a notice to vacate. Our post on how much notice a landlord must give covers how to count the days.
What not to do
Ending a tenancy is a legal process, and shortcuts backfire. Don't:
- Change the locks, remove belongings or remove doors to force a tenant out.
- Shut off utilities. Georgia, for example, bars a landlord from knowingly and willfully suspending heat, light, water or cooling before the final disposition of an eviction case (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-14.1).
- Use entries or repairs as pressure. Entry rules still apply; see landlord entry notice rules.
- End the lease because the tenant complained or asked for repairs. Illinois's Landlord Retaliation Act, for instance, bars ending a tenancy or refusing to renew because a tenant in good faith complained of code violations or asked for repairs (765 ILCS 721/5).
- End it for a discriminatory reason. Fair housing rules apply to terminations as much as to screening; see fair housing laws for landlords.
A hypothetical example
A hypothetical example: an Ohio landlord has a tenant on a 12-month lease running through August. In February the landlord decides to sell and would like the house empty for showings. The lease has no early-termination clause and the tenant pays on time, so there's no breach to act on.
The landlord offers the tenant a written deal: move out by April 30, owe no rent for April, and receive $1,000 once the keys are returned and the unit is empty. The deposit will be handled under the normal Ohio rules. The tenant agrees, both sign a termination letter, and the landlord schedules a move-out inspection. If the tenant had said no, the landlord's realistic options were to sell with the tenant in place or wait for the lease to end in August. Had the tenant instead been month-to-month, Ohio would have let the landlord end the tenancy with notice given at least 30 days before a rent due date (Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.17).
Checklist before you act
- Confirm whether the tenancy is fixed-term or month-to-month.
- Read the lease for any landlord early-termination clause and its notice terms.
- Check your state's notice period and any just-cause rule.
- Check city rules; some cities add cause or relocation requirements.
- Put any agreement in writing, signed by every adult tenant.
- Keep copies of notices and proof of delivery.
- Plan the deposit return to your state's deadline.
Sources
Official sources cited above (checked 2026-10-27):
- California Code of Civil Procedure § 1161
- California Civil Code § 1946.1 and § 1946.2
- Colorado Revised Statutes § 13-40-107 and §§ 38-12-1302, 38-12-1303
- Georgia HB 404 (2024), O.C.G.A. § 44-7-14.1
- Illinois Landlord Retaliation Act, 765 ILCS 721
- New York Real Property Law § 226-c, § 231-c and RPAPL § 711
- Ohio Revised Code § 5321.17
- Oregon Revised Statutes chapter 90 (ORS 90.372, 90.427)
- Pennsylvania Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, 68 P.S. § 250.501
- Code of Virginia § 55.1-1204 and § 55.1-1245
- Revised Code of Washington § 59.12.030 and § 59.18.650
Frequently asked questions
Can a landlord end a lease early to sell the house?
Not on their own, unless the lease has a valid early-termination clause for a sale. Otherwise the options are a written agreement with the tenant, often with a cash-for-keys payment, or selling with the tenant in place until the lease ends.
What is cash for keys?
A written deal where the tenant agrees to move out by a set date in exchange for a payment or waived rent. Pay at or after move-out once the keys are back and the unit is empty, and keep the offer voluntary.
Ending the lease in writing?
Fill in a lease termination letter, preview it and print it for free.
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