So, are you ready to find a new apartment or purchase a home? Do you need to contact your landlord and officially notify him of your intention to move? Learn about the process of writing a 30-day notice of intent to vacate to your landlord.
Legal Requirements
When you are ready to move from your rental unit, you should take out your lease and read the fine print. If you are month-to-month or have a six-month lease, you might need to only give a 30-day notice. If you have a year lease, you might need to give a 60-day notice.
You must give at least the minimum amount or a longer period of time. Your landlord has your security deposit. He can keep a portion of it, if you do not adhere to the lease requirements or law.
Notice to Vacate
Your notice to vacate the rental unit must clearly state your intention. The landlord is busy, so make it easy. Write a title that states your goal: “Notice to Vacate.”
The notice must include your name, rental unit number, date, signature, vacating date and forwarding address. Without your signature, it is not a legal document. The forwarding address is where your security deposit cheque can be sent.
In the body of the Notice of Intent to Vacate, you must clearly state your intention to vacate the apartment on such and such a date. The landlord wants you to move out as early as possible, so he can have the unit painted and find a new tenant.
Once the notice is written, you must deliver it to your landlord. Some leases will include a delivery clause, but others might not. Hand delivery is the best method, but some allow you to send it by mail. If your lease does not include any of these elements, then state law will determine what you must do.
Cleaning Apartment
And, don’t forget to clean. You have a duty to clean the oven, refrigerator, kitchen, bathroom and so forth. You can try to clean the rugs, but most rental companies are simply going to replace them. You could even hire a moving out maid service to clean.
Once you are finished cleaning, take pictures. This will confirm that you cleaned the apartment properly. If you don’t have a camera that automatically prints the date on the photograph, then put a newspaper in the picture – that will show that the picture is recent.
Security Deposit
If you have satisfied all of the requirements, you should get your full security deposit back. The security deposit is one of the primary points of contention for renters.
Make a copy of your notice for your records. Once you have cleaned the apartment, lock the doors and hand over the keys to your landlord. Get a receipt from the landlord showing that you have handed over the keys. Write the notice properly, fulfill your moving out duties and move out when you specify.
Jim Treebold is a North Carolina based writer. He lives by the mantra of “Learn 1 new thing each day”! Jim loves to write, read, pedal around on his electric bike and dream of big things. Drop him a line if you like his writing, he loves hearing from his readers!