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Notice of Termination of Month-to-Month Tenancy
Date:
To: and all other occupants
Rental address:
This letter is notice that your month-to-month tenancy at the address above will end on . Please move out, remove all of your belongings and return all keys by that date.
Rent is due as usual until the tenancy ends. After you move out, I will handle your security deposit as state law requires. Please give me your forwarding address in writing.
Questions, or to schedule a move-out inspection: .
Landlord
Delivered on: How:
Month-to-month notice periods by state
How much notice a landlord must give to end a month-to-month tenancy, from each state's statute. The builder checks your dates against these rules. For example, a notice delivered on November 2, 2026 can end the tenancy no earlier than November 9, 2026 in North Carolina, December 2, 2026 in Texas, January 1, 2027 in Virginia (rent due on the 1st), December 31, 2026 in Florida, and January 1, 2027 in New York for a tenant there a year and a half.
| State | Landlord's notice | Counted | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 30 days | Before the periodic rental date named in the notice | A.R.S. § 33-1375(B) |
| California | 30 days; 60 days once any tenant has lived there a year or more. After 12 months, a covered property needs a just cause stated in the notice (§ 1946.2) | Before the termination date | Civ. Code § 1946.1(b)-(c); Civ. Code § 1946.2 |
| Florida | 30 days | Before the end of a monthly period | Fla. Stat. § 83.57(3) |
| Michigan | 1 month, or one rent interval if rent is paid more often than every 3 months | From the notice | MCL 554.134(1) |
| New Jersey | Good cause required for most rentals; 1 month for an owner-occupied building with no more than two rental units | Not applicable | N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1; 2A:18-56(b) |
| New York | 30 days under 1 year; 60 days for 1 to 2 years; 90 days over 2 years (or a lease of 2 years or more). Good cause needed where the Good Cause Eviction Law applies | Time in the unit or lease length | Real Prop. Law § 226-c(2); Real Prop. Law § 215 |
| North Carolina | 7 days | For a month-to-month tenancy | Gen. Stat. § 42-14 |
| Ohio | 30 days | Before the periodic rental date | Rev. Code § 5321.17(B) |
| Pennsylvania | 15 days | From the date of service (lease of a year or less, or month to month) | 68 P.S. § 250.501(b) |
| Texas | 1 month | Ends on the later of the date in the notice or one month after it is given | Prop. Code § 91.001 |
| Virginia | 30 days | Before the next rent due date, unless the agreement sets a different period | Va. Code § 55.1-1253 |
| Washington | Not allowed without a listed cause | Not applicable | RCW 59.18.650 |
From each state's official statute text, read October 29, 2026. Counted in calendar days from the day the notice is delivered; allow extra time if you mail it. Cities can add rules. Not legal advice.
Where you need a reason
In California, "after a tenant has continuously and lawfully occupied a residential real property for 12 months, the owner of the residential real property shall not terminate a tenancy without just cause, which shall be stated in the written notice to terminate tenancy" (Civ. Code § 1946.2), for properties that section covers. In New York City and other places that adopted New York's Good Cause Eviction Law, covered rentals need good cause (Real Prop. Law § 215). The builder asks about both and does not produce a no-cause notice where they apply.
In Washington, "a landlord may not evict a tenant, refuse to continue a tenancy, or end a periodic tenancy except for the causes enumerated" in the statute (RCW 59.18.650). In New Jersey, "no landlord may evict or fail to renew any lease" of a covered rental "except for good cause" (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1); an owner-occupied building with no more than two rental units takes 1 month's notice to quit. The builder does not produce a no-cause notice for either state.
What a lease termination letter should say
- The date, the tenant's name and the rental address.
- That the month-to-month tenancy ends, and the exact end date.
- That the tenant must move out and return keys by that date, and that rent is due until then.
- How the security deposit will be handled, and a request for a forwarding address.
- Your signature, and a line to record how and when you delivered it.
Keep a copy and proof of delivery. If you are raising the rent rather than ending the tenancy, use the rent increase letter; if rent is late, start with a late rent notice.
Lease termination agreement template
When you and the tenant agree to end a fixed-term lease early, put it in writing: the end date, rent through that date, any early termination fee, how keys and the deposit are handled, and a statement that no rent is owed after the tenant moves out and pays what was agreed. Choose "Agreement to end a lease early" in the builder for a termination of lease agreement template both of you sign.
When the tenant gives notice
In Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Texas and Virginia, the statute in the table applies to the landlord or the tenant, so a tenant's notice follows the same period; Florida's says either party may end the tenancy "giving written notice" (Fla. Stat. § 83.57). Elsewhere, the statute quoted sets the landlord's notice; check the lease for the tenant's. The tenant version of the letter asks for the deposit to be sent to a forwarding address, which starts the deposit process described on the security deposit return letter page.
After the end date
Walk the unit with the move-in and move-out checklist, then itemize any deductions and return the deposit by your state's deadline. In Texas, if the tenant stays past the end date, a notice to vacate under Prop. Code § 24.005 (3 days unless the lease sets a different period) is still needed before you file. See the notice to vacate template and the eviction notice template.
Frequently asked questions
How much notice does a landlord need to end a month-to-month lease?
It depends on the state: 7 days in North Carolina, 15 days in Pennsylvania, 30 days in Arizona, Florida, Ohio and Virginia (counted to the rent date or the end of a monthly period), 1 month in Michigan and Texas, 30 or 60 days in California, and 30, 60 or 90 days in New York.
Can a landlord end a month-to-month tenancy without a reason?
Not in Washington, which requires one of the causes listed in RCW 59.18.650, and not for most rentals in New Jersey, which requires good cause. In California, once a tenant has lived there 12 months, a landlord covered by the Tenant Protection Act needs a just cause stated in the notice (Civ. Code § 1946.2). In New York City and other places that adopted New York's Good Cause Eviction Law, covered rentals need good cause (Real Prop. Law § 215). Elsewhere in the table, the state sets a notice period.
What is a lease termination agreement?
A document the landlord and tenant both sign to end a lease early on an agreed date, usually covering rent through that date, any early termination fee, keys and the deposit.
Does a tenant need to give written notice to move out?
Arizona, Florida and Virginia statutes call for written notice from either side, and Michigan, Ohio and Texas set a notice period for either party. In other states, check the lease.