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A letter to not renew an apartment lease is a written notice you send before the lease ends, telling the resident you won’t be renewing it. It has to name the resident, the unit, the lease’s end date, and the move-out date, and go out inside your state’s required notice window: commonly 30 to 90 days before the lease ends. Below is a template you can copy, fill in the brackets, and send today.
Copy this non-renewal letter and fill in the brackets
This is the clean, lawful way to end a tenancy at the natural end of its term: a dated letter that states the fact plainly, gives the move-out date, and spells out what happens next. Copy the template below, fill in the brackets, and confirm your state’s required notice period before you set the date.
[Date] [Your name] [Your address] [City, State ZIP] [Resident name] [Unit address] [City, State ZIP]
Re: Notice of Non-Renewal, [unit address]
Dear [Resident name],
This letter is formal notice that the lease agreement dated [lease start date], covering the property at [unit address] and ending on [lease end date], will not be renewed. Your tenancy will end on [lease end date], and you are required to vacate and return possession of the unit by that date.
Please return all keys, fobs, and garage remotes to [name/location] by [move-out date]. A move-out inspection is scheduled for [inspection date]. Please address any cleaning or repairs beyond normal wear and tear before then.
Your security deposit of $[amount] will be handled under [state]’s deposit law. [You will receive a written itemized statement of any deductions, along with the remaining balance, within [X] days of move-out.]
If you have questions or want to discuss the move-out process, reach me at [phone number] or [email address].
Sincerely, [Your name] [Signature, if mailed]
Some states set their notice window well outside the 30-to-90-day range covered below, and if your lease requires more notice than the state minimum, the lease wins. Confirm the date before you finalize this letter.
What every non-renewal letter must include
The first thing a non-renewal letter needs is the one landlords still sometimes skip: a clear statement that the lease will not be renewed, with the exact date it ends. Everything else in the letter supports that one sentence.
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Names, dates, and addresses. Your name and address, the resident’s name, and the full unit address, so there’s no question which lease and which tenancy the letter covers.
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The non-renewal statement itself. One direct sentence, something close to “This letter is formal notice that your lease will not be renewed.” Skip the hedging and the soft language.
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The lease reference. Point back to the lease agreement by its start and end dates, so the letter reads as a continuation of that contract rather than a new demand out of nowhere.
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The move-out date and instructions. Key return, garage remotes, the move-out inspection date, and what “move-out ready” means in practice, cleaning standard, trash removed, personal belongings gone.
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Security deposit handling. How and when it comes back, and how you’ll itemize any deductions.
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A way to reach you. A phone number or email address, so questions land somewhere real instead of turning into a dispute later.
How much notice you have to give
The deadline comes from your state and your lease, and it commonly runs 30 to 90 days before the lease ends. Miss it and the letter can lose its effect. Depending on your state, a late non-renewal can auto-renew the lease for another term, convert it to month-to-month, or simply fail to end the tenancy on schedule.
There’s no single national number here. States set their own windows, and your lease can require more than the state minimum. Check how much notice a landlord has to give when not renewing a lease for your state’s actual deadline, then set your date from there.
How to deliver the notice (and whether email counts)
The delivery method can decide whether your notice is legally valid. Some states require certified mail or personal service for a lease non-renewal, and a plain email may not satisfy the statute or the lease, even if the resident reads it and replies the same day.
Landlords ask about email constantly, because it’s fast and it leaves a timestamp. The honest answer: it depends. Some leases and states accept email as valid notice. Others require certified mail, personal delivery, or posting the notice at the unit, and treat an email as if it were never sent, however clear the message was. Check your lease’s notice clause first. It usually names an acceptable method. Then check your state’s landlord-tenant statute for anything more specific.
When you’re not sure, send it the safe way: certified mail with a return receipt, or personal delivery with a witness or a signed acknowledgment. It costs a few dollars and a trip to the post office, and it removes the argument entirely if a resident later claims they never received notice.
Legal traps that void a non-renewal
A non-renewal can’t be retaliatory or discriminatory, and in a handful of states and cities, it can’t happen without cause even at the natural end of the lease term. Get any of this wrong and a resident can challenge the non-renewal or drag out the move-out for months.
Federal law bars you from basing the decision, or appearing to base it, on a resident’s race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability (Fair Housing Act overview, HUD.gov). Whether that federal sex-discrimination protection also covers sexual orientation and gender identity is unsettled at the federal enforcement level right now, so don’t rely on it. Many states and cities protect sexual orientation and gender identity directly, along with other categories the federal list doesn’t cover, so check your local fair housing rules before you finalize a reason.
Most states also bar a non-renewal that’s payback for a resident exercising a legal right, like reporting a code violation, requesting a repair, or joining a residents’ organization. If a resident can show your non-renewal followed close on the heels of a habitability complaint, several states will presume retaliation and put the burden on you to prove the timing was a coincidence.
A smaller group of jurisdictions goes further and requires just cause, a specific, legally acceptable reason to end a tenancy even when the lease has simply run its course. California’s Tenant Protection Act requires just cause once a resident has lived in the unit for 12 months, and the reason has to appear directly in the notice (AB 1482, California Legislature). Oregon’s SB 608 does the same after a resident’s first year (Oregon SB 608, enrolled text). Check whether your property sits in one of these places before you finalize anything, because most of the rest of the country still lets you decline to renew without stating why.
A non-renewal is different from canceling a lease mid-term, which usually requires cause and follows its own process. If you’re ending the tenancy before the lease’s natural end date rather than at it, see canceling a lease after signing instead.
Keep your documentation clean regardless of what your state requires: the lease terms, the notice date, and a neutral, factual reason if you choose to give one. Consistent, well-documented practice is your best defense if a resident ever claims otherwise.
What to do after you send it
Sending the letter isn’t the finish line. Document the date and method you used to deliver it, put a move-out inspection on the calendar, and start lining up turnover so the unit doesn’t sit empty longer than it has to.
Keep a copy of the letter and proof of delivery, whether that’s a certified mail receipt or a signed acknowledgment. Confirm the move-out date and inspection time with the resident in writing, and spell out your process for the walkthrough: what “broom clean” means, how keys get returned, where any deductions will be itemized.
Return the security deposit on your state’s clock. Itemize any deductions in writing. In Texas, for example, that clock is 30 days after the resident surrenders the unit (Tex. Prop. Code § 92.103), and our guide to landlord responsibilities in Texas covers the rest of the state’s rules. Your state’s number is probably different, so look it up rather than assume.
While the resident is still in the unit, line up cleaning, repairs, and marketing for the next lease. A vacancy you saw coming ninety days out costs a lot less than one that catches you by surprise. Our guide to managing a rental property walks through the full turnover process.
If the resident stays past the lease term anyway, you now have a holdover tenancy, and the law still doesn’t let you handle it yourself. No changing the locks, shutting off utilities, or removing belongings. You have to file a formal eviction action and get a court order, the same as any other eviction, even though the resident’s own lease already ran out.
FAQ
Is a written non-renewal letter legally required?
In many states, yes, especially for annual leases or month-to-month tenancies that require notice to end. Even where it isn’t strictly required, put it in writing anyway. A phone call or a text leaves nothing to point to if the resident disputes the date later.
Do you have to give a reason for not renewing?
Usually not. Most states let you decline to renew without stating why, as long as the real reason isn’t discriminatory or retaliatory. The just-cause jurisdictions covered above are the exception, where you have to name a legally acceptable reason in the notice itself.
Can you not renew a lease without cause?
Yes, in most of the country. Landlords can generally choose not to renew for any lawful reason, or no stated reason at all, outside the just-cause states and cities.
Can you send a non-renewal notice by email?
Sometimes, but check first. Some leases and states accept email as valid notice. Others require certified mail or personal delivery and treat an email as if it was never sent. When you’re not certain, send it certified with a return receipt.
What if the resident won’t move out after the lease ends?
Legally, they’re a holdover, and you still can’t remove them yourself. File a formal eviction with the court and get a judgment and a writ of possession before anyone reenters the unit or changes the locks.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, and every situation is different. For guidance on a specific situation, talk to a licensed attorney in your state.
