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Tenants: How to give notice: What to include & what to avoid.
What happens when you want to move home earlier than your agreed tenancy period?
Tenancy’s typically last 6 months to a year, meaning that, you have the agreed period of time to live in the property. However, if you do decide that you would like to move out of your rental before your tenancy is complete, it’s important to know how to serve notice to your landlord properly. If you do not provide your landlord with a sufficient notice this may put your deposit at risk and place you in a position where you are liable to pay extra rent charges. Therefore, this blog will supply you with all the dos and don’ts when it comes to notices to help you achieve a smooth transition.
The first thing you will need to do is check your tenancy agreement before you even think about serving notice. This is an essential first step as your tenancy agreement will inform you on how much notice you will need to provide to the Landlord/ letting agency before your selected move out date. Typically, the notice period sets around one month.
You have to take into account that even if you send your notice to the Landlord exactly one month prior to your desired move date, if the Landlord/ agency doesn’t receive your notice until 2 days post send then your notice is legally only valid from the moment the Landlord/agency receives it. There are many ways you are officially able to send your notice, such as; email, post or even hand-delivery.
IMPORTANT: Always keep a copy, this can come in handy if there’s any disputes down the line.
To actually write your notice you'll need to ensure that it is presented in a clear and professional manner with your;
- Full name,
- Property address,
- Date your providing the notice,
- Planned move-out date,
- Statement conforming you ending the tenancy
- Your forwarding address.
By you providing a clear notice you will avoid any potential confusion.
Once you have officially handed over you notice you will need to start preparing your property for the move out. You can start buy cleaning the property thoroughly, ensuring all bathrooms, carpets, appliances and the Kitchen is cleaned to a high standard. You will then need to repair all/ Any damages that you are able to. E.g. light bulbs or marks on the walls. Once you have done this you can start removing all your personal belongings and lastly return your keys at the agreed date with written confirmation.
Mistakes to avoid:
- Giving notice to early/late,
- Only verbally agreeing, no written notice,
- Leaving before notice period,
- Forgetting to settle utilities or council tax.
Once you have handed over your notice you should ensure that you keep the communication open with your Landlord/ agency to conform all dates, key returns etc.
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