Notice Letter to Your Landlord: A Free Template for England

If you rent privately in England and want to move out, your first job is not booking a van. It is giving your landlord notice, in writing, with the right end date. Get the date wrong and you can end up paying rent on two homes. This guide gives you a template letter and explains each part of it.

This guide explains the rules as GOV.UK and Shelter England set them out. It is not legal advice. If your situation is unusual, check with Shelter England or an adviser before you send anything.

The Renters' Rights Act changed private renting in England from 1 May 2026. GOV.UK says it is no longer possible to have an assured tenancy with an end date. Most existing tenancies became periodic: they roll on from one rent period to the next until someone ends them.

This template is for a private tenant in England on an assured periodic tenancy. GOV.UK says different rules apply if you rent from a council or housing association, live in student halls or are a lodger. The government's roadmap says the tenancy changes reach social housing in a later phase. Wales and Scotland have their own tenancy laws. If you are not sure which rules apply, read your tenancy agreement first.

GOV.UK sets out how a tenant ends a periodic tenancy:

• Two months' notice. That is the default
• In writing. A letter, email or text all count
• The right day. Give it on your rent day or the day before
• The right end date. It should line up with the end of a rent period
• Rent to the end. Keep paying rent until the notice period ends

If your tenancy started before 1 May 2026, two months is the most a landlord can ask for. GOV.UK's landlord guidance says that if your tenancy was periodic from the start, or had a fixed term ending on or after 1 May 2026, the notice period in your agreement still applies: if it says one month, you do not need to give more. Any valid notice given before 1 May 2026 still stands.

You and your landlord can agree in writing to a shorter notice period. If you share the tenancy, a shorter period needs every joint tenant to agree. Ask, and get any agreement in writing.

Copy the text below into a letter or email, and replace everything in square brackets. Send it to the address your landlord or agent gave you for notices.

How to fill in the blanks

If you are unsure about the end date, count from your rent due date, not from the day you decide to move. Ask your landlord or agent to confirm the date in writing when they reply.

If you share a tenancy, this part matters most. Shelter England says a notice to quit served by only one joint tenant is enough to end a periodic tenancy for all the joint tenants. The others do not need to agree, or even know.

So talk to everyone on the agreement before you send anything. If some of you want to stay, GOV.UK says they need the landlord's agreement, usually through a new tenancy agreement. Agree a plan first, then give notice.

Shelter also says a notice to quit cannot be withdrawn, except on a private assured tenancy where everyone agrees in writing. Do not send notice as a bargaining tool. Send it when you are sure.

• Send it by email if your landlord or agent uses email, so you have a dated record
• If you post it, get proof of posting and keep a photo of the signed letter
• Keep a copy of the notice with your tenancy agreement
• Ask for a written reply confirming the end date
• Note the date your rent is due, and set a reminder for the last payment

Once notice is given, the end date is fixed. Work back from it. Book the removal for a day inside your tenancy, ideally a day or more before the end. That leaves time to clean the empty home and attend the check-out before you hand back the keys.

If your new home starts after your old tenancy ends, you will have a gap. We can arrange storage through a partner as part of your move, so your belongings are stored until the new home is ready. See removals and storage in London.

To secure a removal date, we take a 20% booking deposit by bank transfer. For a flat, see our flat removals in London. If you are a student leaving a shared house, see student removals in London. For a whole house, see house removals in London.

Notice is the start, not the end. Moving out of a rented home in London covers the check-out inspection, getting your deposit back, meters and keys. Moving a flat in London covers stairs, lifts and parking on the day.

Two things we do not do: we do not clean, and we do not take rubbish away. Book the cleaning separately and plan for unwanted items before moving day.

When you know your end date, send us both addresses and a room-by-room list. You will get a written quote within 24 hours, and the team confirms the final price. Start from our house removals in London page.

The template above is for England. Scotland and Wales have their own tenancy laws and their own notice rules, so use their official guidance instead.

Scotland: a private residential tenancy

mygov.scot says a tenant must give at least 28 days' notice, in writing. That can be by email, by letter or by handing it to the landlord in person. The notice must say that you want to end the tenancy and give the date it ends.

If you send it by email or post, add 2 extra days for the landlord to receive it. mygov.scot gives the example of a 31 October end date: email or post the notice by 1 October, or hand it over by 3 October. You owe rent until the last day of the notice period.

Joint tenants in Scotland work the other way to England. All tenants must agree to end the tenancy, either by signing the same notice or by each sending notice with the same end date. One tenant cannot end it alone.

Wales: a periodic standard occupation contract

In Wales, tenants are called contract-holders. Shelter Cymru says that on a periodic contract you normally need to give at least four weeks' notice, or one calendar month on a monthly contract. The notice should end on the first or last day of a rental period, and it is always best to give it in writing. Your landlord can agree to a shorter period.

If you are moving from one rented home to another in England, some of the new rules apply to the home you are moving into. GOV.UK's overview for tenants sets out, among others:

• Rent in advance. A landlord cannot ask for, encourage or accept rent before you have signed the tenancy agreement. Once you have signed, you can be asked for a maximum of 1 month's rent in advance
• Rental bidding. Adverts and offers must include a specific price, and landlords cannot accept or encourage offers above the advertised rent
• Pets. You can ask to keep a pet. The landlord must consider the request and should give a reason if they refuse
• Rent increases. Only once a year, not in the first 12 months, with at least 2 months' notice on the correct form

These matter when you plan the money for a move. With rent in advance capped, the deposit and the first month's rent are usually the main costs of the new tenancy.

Your deposit is the money most tenants worry about when they give notice. GOV.UK sets out how it works in England and Wales:

• Your landlord or agent must protect it in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receiving it
• There are three schemes: the Deposit Protection Service, MyDeposits and the Tenancy Deposit Scheme
• Once you and your landlord agree how much you get back, it must be returned within 10 days

If you disagree about deductions, each scheme offers a free dispute resolution service. Using it is optional and both sides must agree to it. Both of you are asked for evidence, and the decision is final. GOV.UK warns there may be a time limit to raise a dispute, so contact the scheme quickly.

If you cannot reach your landlord and the deposit is in an approved scheme, you can raise a dispute and the scheme refunds the deposit if the dispute service agrees. If it is not in a scheme, you may be able to apply to the county court. Write to your landlord and agent first, because GOV.UK notes they may pay the deposit back to avoid legal costs.

The best evidence is gathered on moving day. Once the van is loaded, photograph every room, the inside of cupboards and appliances, and the meters. Getting your tenancy deposit back in London goes through the check-out in more detail.

Once you have handed back the keys, a short written request puts a date on the record.

Your notice end date is also the date most bills should stop. Work through these in the last two weeks.

• Energy. Citizens Advice says to give suppliers at least 48 hours' notice and read the meters on the day you leave. You then have 28 days to pay the final bill
• Water. Tell your water company. Thames Water, for example, takes notice up to 28 days before your move
• Council tax. Tell the council your leaving date so it can close the account
• Post. The Post Office lets you set up a redirection up to six months before you move
• Broadband and TV. Check your contract's notice terms, as these can run longer than your tenancy

• Counting from the wrong day. Count from your rent due date, not from the day you decide to move
• Sending it to the wrong place. Use the address your landlord or agent gave for notices
• Not talking to joint tenants first. In England, one tenant's notice can end a periodic tenancy for everyone
• Booking the move after the end date. Leave at least a day to clean and attend the check-out
• Not keeping proof. Keep a dated copy and ask for written confirmation of the end date

If the timing between homes is tight, our removals and storage service can hold your belongings with a partner storage provider until the new home is ready.