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Landlord notices

Landlord Notice to Vacate

Information for landlords ending a tenancy: what a notice to vacate must get right, how it differs from an eviction, and the official sources to check. Generation is not available.

Guidance only, generator not available Updated on October 16, 2026

Generator not available. Landlord notices to vacate depend on state and local rules that require professional review before this site can generate them. The page explains what to check and links official sources.

LetterForgeUSA provides document drafting tools and general information, not legal advice. Rules depend on your location and circumstances.

Availability

Generator not available

This page explains the notice, what to check and where the official sources are. It does not produce or download a document.

Review required before generation

Generation is disabled for this tool until a documented professional review exists for the exact state and scenario. The coverage table on this page lists the states with official sources on file, and the resources below lead to official guidance.

This page has no state selector. The table under Sources and coverage lists every state this site has checked for this notice and the status of each check.

Official resources and next steps

A notice to vacate is not an eviction

A notice to vacate (sometimes called a notice to quit or notice of termination) tells a tenant that the tenancy is ending on a stated date. It does not remove anyone. If the tenant stays past that date, the landlord must file a court case and only a court order enforced by the proper officer can require the tenant to leave. Changing locks, removing doors or shutting off utilities to force a tenant out is prohibited in most places and can create liability.

No generic template is offered here

The notice period, the required contents, who can be served, how service works and whether a reason must be stated all depend on the state, often the city or county, the length of the tenancy and the type of housing. A form that is fine in one place can be defective in another, and a defective notice usually means starting over. This site does not present a generic notice as sufficient.

Subsidized and federally connected housing often has extra requirements

Housing that receives rental assistance, is part of a federal program, or has a federally backed mortgage can carry additional notice requirements beyond state law, including longer notice periods and required statements. Confirm the status of the unit with the housing authority, lender or program administrator before serving anything.

What to check before you act

Good fit

When to use

  • You are a landlord or manager ending a month-to-month tenancy and want to understand what notice period, reason and contents may be required where the rental is located.
  • A fixed-term lease is ending, you do not plan to renew, and you want to know whether the lease or the law requires advance notice.
  • You are planning an owner move-in, sale, renovation or withdrawal from the rental market and need to check whether local just-cause rules apply.
  • You want a checklist of facts to gather before asking an attorney or housing counselor to review a notice.

Choose another route

When not to use

  • The tenant is behind on rent. That calls for a pay-or-quit or nonpayment notice, which has its own rules. See the Pay-or-Quit Notice tool.
  • The tenant has broken the lease or there is a health, safety or nuisance problem. Those notices have different periods and contents and are not covered here.
  • You are a tenant who wants to give notice that you are leaving. Use the Tenant Notice to Vacate tool instead.
  • The tenant has already stayed past the end date. At that point the next step is a court process, not another informal notice.
  • You need a notice right now that will stand up in court. This page explains the questions; it cannot produce the notice.

Prepare first

What you need

  • The state, city and county where the rental is located, so you can check both state law and local ordinances.
  • The type of tenancy (month to month, fixed term, week to week) and the date the tenant first moved in, counted in months.
  • A copy of the lease, especially any notice, renewal or delivery clause.
  • Your reason for ending the tenancy, in plain words.
  • Whether the unit is rent stabilized or covered by a local just-cause or eviction-control ordinance, or whether you do not know.
  • Whether the rent is subsidized, the building is in an assisted housing program, or the property has a federally backed mortgage.
  • Full names of every adult tenant, the property address and your mailing address.
  • The date you plan to deliver the notice, how you plan to deliver it, and the date you want the tenancy to end.

Generation unavailable for this tool

This page does not produce a landlord notice to vacate, and there is no download. Landlord notices depend on state law, local ordinances, the length of the tenancy and the type of housing, and a notice that gets any of those wrong usually has to be served again from the start. LetterForgeUSA will only generate one after a documented professional review of the rule for the exact state and scenario. Until then, this page explains what a notice has to get right and links the official sources this site has checked.

What a landlord notice to vacate does

A notice to vacate, also called a notice to quit or notice of termination, is the landlord’s written statement that the tenancy ends on a stated date. It is the first step, not the last. If the tenant leaves by that date, the tenancy ends. If the tenant stays, the landlord’s next step is a court case. The notice itself removes no one and gives the landlord no right to change locks, remove belongings or cut utilities.

This tool is kept separate from two neighbors on purpose. A tenant who wants to leave uses the Tenant Notice to Vacate. A landlord dealing with unpaid rent needs a pay-or-quit or nonpayment notice, which has its own periods, contents and risks.

Why this generator is disabled

Four things would have to be certain before a notice could be generated safely, and today none of them can be checked by software alone for an arbitrary address.

  1. The notice period. It can change with the length of the tenancy, the type of tenancy, the lease wording, the city or county, and whether the housing is subsidized or federally connected. California’s court self-help guide, for example, gives 30 days under one year of occupancy and 60 days at one year or more, with longer periods for Section 8 and CARES Act housing. Texas uses one month for a month-to-month tenancy under Property Code section 91.001 and lets a written agreement set something else.
  2. Whether a reason is required. Some states and many cities require a stated just cause and, for no-fault reasons, relocation assistance or other conditions. The verified California page describes the statewide Tenant Protection Act but does not list its exemptions, so even for California this site cannot tell from a form whether a unit is covered.
  3. How days are counted and how the notice is served. The verified pages do not state, for the 30-day and 60-day California notices, whether the day of service counts, and they do not list service methods for those notices. Texas lists service methods for the pre-eviction notice to vacate but not for the section 91.001 notice. A reviewed version must settle these for each jurisdiction.
  4. Federal and local overlays. Subsidized housing, federal programs and federally backed mortgages can add notice requirements, and local ordinances can be stronger than state law. Neither can be inferred from a street address.

Rather than guess, this page reports the coverage status of every state this site has checked, under Sources and coverage below, and links the official pages.

Review status

Generation requires a documented professional review for the particular jurisdiction and scenario. Read the coverage status definitions for what each review stage means.

What a reviewed version would need

A professionally reviewed rule for one state and one scenario would have to record, with citations to the current statute or ordinance:

  • the trigger event and the notice period, including any change at 12 months or another threshold;
  • the counting method (calendar days, months, or rental periods), whether the day of service counts, and what happens when the last day falls on a weekend or holiday;
  • the required contents of the notice, including any just-cause statement, relocation-assistance statement, or required language about the court process or disability accommodations;
  • the permitted service methods and any extra days added for mail;
  • exclusions: subsidized housing, federal programs, federally backed mortgages, mobile home lots, licensed care facilities, and any owner or property exemptions;
  • whether a local overlay check is required, and for which cities or counties;
  • a review-due date, because these rules change.

The list of what you need above already covers the facts such a rule would consume, so nothing about the questions has to change when a jurisdiction is enabled.

How to use this page in the meantime

Gather the information in the list above, read the official page for your state, and check your city or county website for a just-cause, eviction-control or rent-stabilization ordinance. Then have a local attorney or a housing counselor review the notice before you serve it. If you are in California or Texas, the state notes on this page summarize what the official sources say and link directly to them. For other states, start with your state court’s self-help center or state law library and prefer .gov sources.

LetterForgeUSA provides document drafting tools and general information, not legal advice. Rules depend on your location and circumstances.

State and local differences

Notes for states where an editor opened an official source. Each one is an editorial check, not attorney review, and city or county rules can add requirements.

California

California: 30 or 60 days, and just cause after 12 months

The California Courts Self-Help Guide says a month-to-month tenancy is ended with a 30-day notice if the tenant has lived in the unit less than one year, or a 60-day notice if one year or more. It also explains that under the Tenant Protection Act (Civil Code section 1946.2) most tenancies require a stated just cause once the tenant has lived there 12 months, and that a no-fault termination (owner or family move-in, withdrawal from the rental market, major repairs or demolition, or compliance with a government order) requires relocation assistance of one month of rent or a waiver of the last month, stated in the notice. Section 8 housing uses a 90-day notice with just cause, and CARES Act covered properties use a 30-day notice. The guide warns that cities and counties can add requirements and that local protections may be stronger than state law. The page does not list the Tenant Protection Act's exemptions and does not say whether the day of service counts, which is one reason this site does not generate California notices.

Read the California rental letter guide

Sources for this note

Texas

Texas: one month for month to month, and the lease controls a fixed term

The Texas State Law Library's Landlord/Tenant Law guide says that under Property Code section 91.001 either the landlord or the tenant may end a month-to-month tenancy by notifying the other. For rental periods of at least one month, the tenancy ends on the later of the day stated in the notice or one month after the day notice is given, unless both parties signed a written agreement setting a different period. The guide says Texas law does not specify how much notice is required when the lease is not month to month; the lease terms control. It separately describes the pre-eviction notice to vacate under Property Code section 24.005: at least 3 days unless the lease sets a longer or shorter period, in writing unless the lease allows electronic delivery, delivered in person, left inside the unit, or mailed, with a 30-day federal CARES Act notice for covered properties. The library notes that it cannot tell you what the law means for your situation.

Read the Texas rental letter guide

Sources for this note

Delivery checklist

Read the delivery guide

How a letter is delivered and what you keep often matters as much as what it says.

The guide How to deliver a rental letter and keep a copy covers hand delivery, certified mail and email, and what a usable record looks like. The checklist below lists what to settle before anything is served.

  • Write down the date the tenant first moved in and count the total months of occupancy. Several notice rules change at 12 months.
  • Read the lease for any notice clause, renewal clause and delivery clause. A written lease can change what notice is required.
  • Check whether the city or county where the rental sits has a just-cause, eviction-control or rent-stabilization ordinance.
  • Confirm whether the unit or building is subsidized, part of a federal program, or financed with a federally backed mortgage. Keep the answer with your records.
  • Plan how you will prove delivery: who delivered the notice, when, how, and a copy of exactly what was delivered.
  • Have an attorney or a housing counselor in your area review the notice before you serve it. A defective notice usually means starting over.

Questions about this notice

What is the difference between a notice to vacate and an eviction?

A notice to vacate tells the tenant the tenancy is ending on a stated date. It does not remove anyone. An eviction is a court case the landlord files if the tenant stays past that date, and only a court order enforced by the proper officer can require the tenant to leave. In Texas, for example, the State Law Library guide says the landlord cannot file an eviction suit before giving the notice to vacate. Changing locks or shutting off utilities to force someone out is prohibited in most places.

What does "just cause" mean, and does it apply to me?

Just cause means the law requires a recognized reason, stated in the notice, before a tenancy can be ended. Where it applies, reasons are usually split into at-fault (such as nonpayment) and no-fault (such as owner move-in), and no-fault reasons may come with conditions like relocation assistance. The California Courts guide says the state Tenant Protection Act requires just cause after 12 months of occupancy for most tenancies, and some cities have their own ordinances. Many states have no statewide just-cause requirement. Whether it applies depends on the state, the city or county, the length of the tenancy and the type of property.

The unit is subsidized or the building has a federally backed mortgage. Does that change the notice?

Often, yes. Federal programs and federally connected properties can carry their own notice requirements on top of state law, including longer periods and required statements. Both the California and Texas official pages mention a 30-day federal CARES Act notice for covered properties, and the California page describes a 90-day notice with just cause for Section 8 housing. Confirm the status of the unit with the housing authority, lender or program administrator before you serve anything. This site does not summarize the federal requirements in detail because it has not verified them from a federal source.

Can I just use a generic notice to vacate form I found online?

You can, but you carry the risk. The notice period, the contents, who must be served, how service works, whether a reason must be stated and whether relocation assistance must be offered all vary by state and often by city. A form that works in one place can be defective in another, and a defective notice usually means starting the clock over after the tenant challenges it. That is why this site does not generate landlord notices to vacate and does not present any generic template as sufficient.

How should I deliver the notice?

Allowed methods vary by state and sometimes by notice type. The Texas State Law Library guide, for example, lists in-person delivery to the tenant or a household member age 16 or older, leaving the notice inside the unit in an obvious place, mail (including first-class, registered and certified), and electronic delivery only if the written lease allows it, for the pre-eviction notice to vacate. Other states have different lists, and mail can add days in some places. Whatever method you use, keep a copy of exactly what was delivered and a record of who delivered it, when and how.

The tenant has lived here less than a year. Is the notice period shorter?

In some states, yes. The California Courts guide says 30 days applies when the tenant has lived in the unit less than one year and 60 days when one year or more. Texas uses one month for a month-to-month tenancy regardless of how long the tenant has been there, according to the State Law Library guide. Count the total time the tenant has occupied the unit, not only the current lease, and check your own state before relying on any number.

When will this generator be available?

Only after a named, credentialed reviewer documents a review of the rule for a specific state and scenario, covering the notice period, counting method, required contents, service methods and exclusions, and a template for that jurisdiction is reviewed with it. No date is promised. The coverage status for each state is shown on the tool page and on the Sources and coverage page.

Sources and coverage

Site-wide sources and coverage

The official pages behind this page and the generator's notes, each with the date an editor last checked it, and the status of every rule the tool consults.

Primary references

Official sources

Coverage record

Rules this tool consults

Rules on file for Landlord Notice to Vacate, with their status as of October 25, 2026. "Source-checked" means an editor opened the official source on the date shown; it is not attorney review. Draft and expired rules are never used in a letter.
Jurisdiction Scenario Status Checked on Review due
California Periodic no fault Source-checked, not attorney review 2026-10-16 2027-04-16
Texas End of fixed term Source-checked, not attorney review 2026-10-16 2027-04-16
Texas Periodic no fault Source-checked, not attorney review 2026-10-16 2027-04-16

How a rule earns each status, who may change it and how often sources are rechecked is set out in the editorial policy. The Sources and coverage page lists every rule and source on the site. Template version 2026.10.1.

Related tools

  • Pay-or-Quit / Nonpayment Notice Information for landlords dealing with unpaid rent: what a pay-or-quit notice must get right, how it differs from an eviction, a rent ledger check, and the official sources to read. Generation is not available. Guidance only, generator not available
  • Rent Increase Notice Guidance and official sources for notifying a tenant of a rent change. Generation is disabled pending professional review of state and local rules. Guidance only, generator not available
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