Requirements for a termination notice

In order to end a tenancy, a tenant or landlord must give the appropriate notice.

What needs to be in a termination notice?

There is no required format for this notice. However, all notices must:

• be in writing
• give the address of the tenancy
• give the date when the tenancy will end
• be signed by the person giving the notice (s 51(3) RTA).

Requirements are the same for landlords and tenants, but landlords must state the reason for the notice if giving less than 90 days’ notice.

The date of the end of the tenancy does not have to relate to when the tenancy started or when rent is paid, as long as it complies with the required length of notice.

Notice period for a tenant to end a periodic tenancy

Notice period for a landlord to end a periodic tenancy

Notice period for ending a fixed-term tenancy

Serving the termination notice

The termination notice must be handed to the other person or delivered to one of their addresses for service that are stated on the tenancy agreement. The notice can be emailed, faxed, or sent as a text or to a messaging service if these methods have been included as addresses for service.(s 13AB RTA, s 136 RTA)

When calculating the notice period, the amount of time that it will take for the other party to receive the termination notice (service time) must be taken into account. 

Find out more from Tenancy Services about service time and rules for serving notices