A New York lease termination letter is a written notice that a landlord or a tenant sends to end a rental. It names the rental address and the date the rental ends. How much notice it must give depends on the kind of tenancy, and the New York Real Property Law sets those periods.[2][4] FormsPal gives you a template to fill out online or download as a PDF.
Last Updated: October 2026. This guide is reviewed and updated regularly to reflect current New York law. If you notice an error or outdated information, please contact us.
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People send a lease termination notice when a rental is coming to an end. A landlord may write one when the lease period is ending, rent is unpaid, or a lease rule has been broken. A tenant may write one when they plan to move out.
The document puts the decision and the end date in writing, which gives both sides a clear record. A landlord who is dealing with unpaid rent can also read our New York eviction notice page.
The letter ends a rental that began under a rental agreement. Our New York rental lease agreement forms page has lease agreements for different property types in New York.
The table below sums up the FormsPal New York lease termination form. It lists the other names the document goes by, the statutes that set the notice periods, and how long the form takes to fill out. You can fill it out online with the document builder above or download the PDF.
| Document Name | New York Lease Termination Form |
| Other Names | New York Lease Termination Notice, New York Notice to Vacate |
| Relevant Laws | N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 226-c, § 228, § 232-a and § 232-b |
| Avg. Time to Fill Out | 10 minutes |
| # of Fillable Fields | 35 |
| Available Formats | Adobe PDF |
The notice period depends on the type of tenancy. The statute gives a notice period for each of four cases. They are a tenancy at will, a month-to-month rental, the end of a lease, and a month-to-month rental in New York City that is not residential. The sections below give each period.
A landlord ends a tenancy at will or by sufferance with a written notice of not less than thirty days. The notice requires the tenant to remove from the premises.[2]
A tenancy at will or by sufferance, however created, may be terminated by a written notice of not less than thirty days given in behalf of the landlord, to the tenant, requiring him to remove from the premises
Check which kind of rental you have before you choose an end date, because each kind has its own notice period.
Before either side sends a termination notice, read the lease agreement for any early termination conditions. Some agreements include a clause about leaving early, and that clause may name which party gives notice and what the departing party owes.
Many property owners also expect the tenant to pay rent through the final day and to return the keys with the property in good condition. If the agreement says nothing about ending the lease, a written termination letter still gives both sides a dated record of the decision.
A clear termination letter names the people involved, the rental address, the date of the letter, and the date the tenancy ends. It also says plainly that the tenancy is ending. You can build the document online with the document builder above.
A termination notice is also a convenient place to settle the practical details of the security deposit. A tenant can state a forwarding address so the landlord knows where to send the deposit once the unit is empty.
A landlord can use the same document to explain how the property will be inspected at move-out. Both parties benefit when the deposit, the keys and the condition of the property are discussed in writing before the final day.
After move-out, a landlord can use a security deposit refund letter to confirm the return of the deposit.
You can build the lease termination notice with our form-building software, or download the template and fill it out yourself. Either way, follow the three steps below. You can type into the downloaded PDF with our online PDF editor, or print it and write by hand.
Add the dates. Write the date of the document in the day-month-year format. Then enter the date the tenancy ends. Pick an end date that fits the rules for your kind of rental.
Add the names and the address. Fill in the names of the landlord and the tenant and the address of the rental. Add your own address, city, state, and zip code, for example where the security deposit should be sent.
Provide a signature. The person who sends it signs it.
After you sign the letter, the other party needs to receive it. Make a copy for your own records before you hand it over or send it. The steps below work for a landlord and for a tenant.
A tenant can use the form to record the decision to leave and the date. Whether the lease can end early depends on the lease agreement and on the kind of rental, so check both before you set the end date.
Each party should keep a signed copy together with proof of delivery, because the documentation shows what was said and when.
The letter does not return the deposit by itself. Many tenants add a forwarding address so the landlord knows where to send it after move-out, and ask the landlord to confirm the condition of the property in writing.
This page is written for rentals in New York State. For a rental in another state, look for a form made for that state.
General information, not legal or tax advice.
Unless noted otherwise, the sources below are from the N.Y. Real Prop. Law.
