Before you write a notice of termination of lease, you must first determine whether you have grounds for ending the lease and verify whether the laws in your jurisdiction require a specific wording on the notice. You must also ensure that you follow any laws for serving the lease termination to your tenant, landlord, or property management company. In many jurisdictions, terminating the lease is considered to be a serious legal issue, and if you do not write and serve your lease termination notice properly, you may find yourself faced with both civil and criminal repercussions.
In law, leases are considered to be binding contracts. This contract protects tenants against homelessness by ensuring that a landlord cannot deprive them of their residence without a good reason. Similarly, landlords are protected from suffering economic hardship by tenants who move out at whim, leaving the landlord to find someone new to pay the rent. In general, landlord and tenant laws give specific conditions under which either a landlord or tenant can end a lease. These conditions, also known as grounds, typically must be included in any notice of termination of lease. If you are unsure of your grounds for lease termination, contact an attorney or check the law in your area so that you are familiar with acceptable reasons for lease termination.
Your notice should state clearly your intention to terminate the lease as well as the grounds or reasons for ending your relationship with your landlord or tenant. You should date the document, as this can be important if either tenant or landlord claims that the notice was not given in the time period specified by law. It is best to not use inflammatory language in the termination notice to avoid increasing bad feelings during the lease termination process. Laws in your jurisdiction may require you to include other elements in your lease termination letter.
In addition to the composition of your notice of termination of lease, it is essential that you learn the appropriate way to serve the notice of termination to either your landlord or tenant. If you do not serve the letter properly, it doesn't matter how well composed it is &mash; a court may still consider it invalid. Depending on your jurisdiction's laws, you may be allowed to hand deliver the letter, or you may have to send it through certified or registered mail.
