Tenant letter guidance
Tenant intent-to-vacate letter guidance
This page is for a tenant notifying a landlord or property manager of an intended move-out. It is not a landlord eviction notice, notice to quit, or demand that another person leave a property.
Published Jan 11, 2026 • Updated Jul 11, 2026
Before you write the letter
Verify:
- The names of all tenants giving notice
- The complete rental-property address and unit number
- Whether the tenancy is fixed-term, month-to-month, subsidized, or subject to another program
- The lease end date, renewal clause, and tenant notice requirement
- Any state or local notice period that applies
- Whether the move-out date must align with the end of a rental period
- The landlord’s or property manager’s designated notice address
- Every recipient and delivery method required by the lease or governing rule
- Whether email, an online portal, personal delivery, or another step is required in addition to mail
- How and when to provide a forwarding address, request an inspection, and return keys
Suggested contents
A tenant intent-to-vacate letter commonly identifies the tenants and property, states the intended last day of the tenancy, references the lease when useful, asks for written move-out instructions, and provides reliable contact information. Include a forwarding address only when you are ready to disclose it and it is safe to do so.
Sign and date the final letter. Keep a copy of the exact document and any attachments.
Mailing does not guarantee termination
A USPS mailing or delivery record can help document carrier events for the letter. It does not prove that the move-out date is legally effective, that the notice period was calculated correctly, that the recipient accepted the notice, or that mailing alone satisfied the lease or applicable law.
If the notice is late or incomplete, the tenancy may renew, continue month-to-month, or create additional rent obligations depending on the governing agreement and law. Resolve uncertainty before choosing the date or sending the letter.
Upload and mail a completed tenant notice
After you prepare and sign the final document, scan or save it as a clear PDF. PostalForm can print and mail the PDF you provide. PostalForm does not select the move-out date, calculate the notice period, determine the correct recipient, or decide whether the notice ends the tenancy.
Related information
FAQs
- Is this a landlord notice to a tenant?
- No. This guidance is for a tenant communicating an intent to move out.
- Does PostalForm generate a legally compliant notice?
- No. You prepare the document after checking the lease and current rules; PostalForm prints and mails the uploaded PDF.
- Does Certified Mail make the move-out date effective?
- No. It may document USPS mailing and delivery events, but the lease and applicable law determine timing, delivery, and legal effect.
- Where should I send it?
- Use the notice recipient and address stated in the lease or current written instructions, after checking whether applicable law requires something different or additional.
- Should every tenant sign?
- Check the lease and governing rules. When multiple tenants are giving notice, confirm whose notice and signature are required.
- Can I mail a copy to myself?
- A copy in a separate order is only a courtesy copy; keep the signed PDF and order record with your tenancy documents.
- What file type should I upload?
- Upload a clean PDF containing the final letter and only the attachments you intend the recipient to receive.
Ready to send it?
Confirm the lease, applicable rules, recipient, timing, and delivery method first. Then upload the tenant intent-to-vacate PDF.