The short answer
A 30-day notice to a landlord is a dated, signed letter telling your landlord you’re ending your tenancy, with your rental address, the exact move-out date, and a forwarding address for your security deposit. The notice period depends on your state and lease: Florida requires at least 30 days for month-to-month tenancies, while Washington requires 20. Send it so it arrives before the deadline, by a method that gives you proof, such as Certified Mail.
What is a 30-day notice to a landlord?
A 30-day notice to a landlord is a short written letter in which a tenant says they’re ending the tenancy and names the day they’ll move out. People also call it a notice to vacate letter or a notice of intent to vacate. It’s the tenant’s side of ending a rental; it isn’t an eviction notice, which comes from a landlord.
The “30 days” is a common rule for month-to-month rentals, not a national law. Landlord-tenant law is set mostly by states, and some cities add their own rules, so the notice period you owe depends on where the rental is and what your lease says. This article is general information, not legal advice. If your situation is unusual or a lot of money is at stake, check your state’s statutes, a state attorney general or court self-help page, or a local legal aid office.
When do you have to give a landlord 30 days’ notice?
Start with the type of tenancy. In a month-to-month (or other periodic) tenancy, the rental renews automatically each period until someone ends it, and state law usually sets the minimum written notice. In a fixed-term lease, such as a 12-month lease, the tenancy has an end date written into the lease.
Many fixed-term leases still ask for advance notice that you won’t renew, often 30 or 60 days, and some convert to month-to-month if nobody says anything. New York’s statute, for example, says no notification is necessary to end a tenancy for a definite term, but your lease can still require one as a contract term. Read the lease’s termination, renewal, and notice clauses before you write anything.
Leaving before a fixed-term lease ends is a different question. A notice letter doesn’t by itself release you from rent owed for the rest of the term; that depends on your lease, any early-termination clause, and state law. Some states have specific early-termination protections, such as Washington’s exception for military tenants with change-of-station or deployment orders.
How much notice do states require?
Rules vary widely. The three examples below come straight from each state’s official statute text, read on October 9, 2026, and cover month-to-month tenancies only. They’re examples, not a complete list, and your lease or local ordinance can add requirements. Look up the current statute for your own state before you rely on a number.
- Florida’s statute also sets other periods for other tenancies: not less than 60 days before the end of an annual period for year-to-year, 30 days for quarter-to-quarter, and 7 days for week-to-week.
- New York City has a separate section (§ 232-a) for monthly tenancies in the city, so § 232-b doesn’t apply there.
- Washington’s 20-day rule shows that a “30-day notice” isn’t universal; some states require less, and some leases require more, which is where a 60-day notice to a landlord usually comes from.
| State | Statute | Tenant’s notice for month-to-month | Timing rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | Fla. Stat. § 83.57 | Written notice of not less than 30 days | Before the end of any monthly period |
| New York (outside New York City) | N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 232-b | At least one month | Before the expiration of the term |
| Washington | RCW 59.18.200(1)(a) | Written notice of 20 days or more | Preceding the end of any month or rental period |
What should you include in a 30-day notice to your landlord?
Keep the letter short and factual. Its job is to show who is ending which tenancy, on what date, and when the landlord received notice. Everything below fits on one page.
- Optional: a line asking to schedule a move-out walk-through and a phone number or email for arranging it.
- Leave out: complaints, threats, and long explanations. If you have a dispute, handle it in a separate letter.
| Element | What to write | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Date | The date you sign and send the letter, such as October 9, 2026 | Starts the clock and shows when you gave notice |
| Landlord’s name and address | The name and mailing address your lease lists for notices | Many leases say where notices must go |
| Rental address | Full street address, including unit number | Identifies exactly which tenancy is ending |
| Statement of intent | A plain sentence that you’re ending the tenancy | Leaves no doubt the letter is a notice |
| Move-out date | The specific last day of your tenancy | Lets both sides check it against the required notice period |
| Forwarding address | Where you’ll receive mail after you leave | Gives the landlord a place to send your deposit or any statement about it |
| Deposit request | A request to return your security deposit as provided by state law | Puts the request in writing; deadlines and rules vary by state |
| Names and signatures | Every tenant on the lease prints and signs their name | Shows all tenants are giving notice |
How do you count the 30 days?
Count from the day the landlord receives the notice, unless your lease or state law says otherwise, and work backward from the move-out date you want. Then check whether your state ties the deadline to the rental period.
Florida and Washington both do. Florida’s statute requires notice “prior to the end of any monthly period,” and Washington requires notice “preceding the end of any of the months or periods of tenancy.” In practice, under a rule like that, your tenancy ends at the end of a rental period, not on any day you choose. If rent is due on the 1st and you want to leave at the end of November, the notice must arrive at least 30 days (in Florida) before November 30. If you send it on November 5 instead, the earliest end of a monthly period you could reach is December 31.
Give yourself a cushion. Mail takes time, and if your state or lease counts from delivery, a letter mailed on the 30th day may arrive too late. Many tenants send the notice a week or more ahead of the deadline.
What does a 30-day notice letter look like?
Here’s a short example from a fictional tenant to a fictional property manager. Swap in your own details and check the dates against your lease and state law.
Heading: Jordan Ellis, 2210 Birch Lane, Apt. 4C, Tampa, FL 33602
Date: October 9, 2026
Recipient: Ms. Carla Nguyen, Property Manager, Harbor View Apartments, 500 Bay Street, Tampa, FL 33602
Subject: Notice to vacate, 2210 Birch Lane, Apt. 4C
Dear Ms. Nguyen:
This letter is my written notice that I am ending my month-to-month tenancy at 2210 Birch Lane, Apt. 4C, Tampa, FL 33602. My last day of tenancy will be November 30, 2026, and I will return all keys on or before that date.
Please return my security deposit as required by Florida law. My forwarding address is 88 Cedar Court, Orlando, FL 32801.
I would like to schedule a move-out walk-through during the last week of November. Please let me know which day works for you.
Sincerely,
(signature) Jordan Ellis
How should you deliver a notice to vacate?
Follow your lease first. Many leases say how notices must be delivered and to what address, and some states have rules about delivery methods. If your lease names an address for notices, use it even if you usually pay rent online or through a portal.
Whatever method you use, keep proof. A copy of the signed letter plus a record of when it was sent and delivered answers most later questions. USPS Certified Mail is a common choice for that: USPS says it lets you prove you sent the item and see when it was delivered or that a delivery attempt was made. Combined with Return Receipt, you get an electronic or physical delivery record showing the recipient’s signature. USPS also notes you present the item to a Postal employee at the Post Office if you want a postmarked sender’s receipt.
Email or a portal message may also be accepted if your lease allows it, but a mailed letter with a delivery record is harder to dispute. Keep your copy and receipts until your deposit is settled.
What should you do after you give notice?
Sending the notice is the first step of moving out. A few more things protect your deposit and your mail.
- Confirm receipt. Check the delivery record or ask the landlord to acknowledge the notice in writing.
- Pay rent through the end of the notice period unless you and the landlord agree otherwise in writing.
- Schedule a move-out inspection if your landlord offers one, and take dated photos of every room after you clean.
- Return all keys and get a written note of when you returned them.
- Update your mailing address with the people who send you mail. The USPS change-of-address guide explains how forwarding works.
- Track your deposit. State law sets the deadline and rules for returning it. If the deadline passes with no refund or itemized statement, a written request is a reasonable next step, and IRIS has a security deposit return request template for it.
When do you need a 60-day notice instead?
A 60-day notice to a landlord usually comes from one of two places: the lease, or a state rule for a longer rental period. Many leases ask for 60 days’ notice of non-renewal, and that contract term applies even where the state minimum for month-to-month tenancies is shorter. Florida’s statute is an example of the second kind: a year-to-year tenancy requires not less than 60 days’ notice before the end of the annual period.
The letter itself is the same. Only the move-out date and the date you send it change, so use the same elements and the same proof of delivery.
Can you mail a 30-day notice online?
Yes. If you type your notice, you can mail it without a printer, envelope, or stamps. IRIS is an independent print-and-mail service, not USPS or any agency. You upload a US Letter-size PDF, enter the sender and recipient addresses, and review the document, addresses, options, and total before paying. IRIS prints it and mails it by USPS First-Class Mail to a US address.
A one-page black-and-white letter costs $3.20. Certified Mail adds $6.95, so a one-page certified letter is $10.15, with tracking on your order page. Electronic Return Receipt adds $2.91 and is available only with Certified Mail.
Two limits matter for a notice. IRIS order status isn’t proof of delivery, and IRIS can’t guarantee a delivery date, so send early. A printed PDF also can’t carry a handwritten (“wet”) signature; if your lease requires one, sign and mail the letter yourself.
Sources & further reading
Product details checked against the IRIS API contract when this article was published. Platform references can change; consult the linked documentation when implementing.
- Florida Statutes § 83.57: Termination of tenancy without specific term
- New York Real Property Law § 232-b
- Revised Code of Washington 59.18.200
- USPS: Insurance and extra services
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