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California Notice to Vacate Letter

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[Your full name]

[Date]

[Your landlord's name]

Re: Notice to vacate — [Rental property address]

Dear [Your landlord's name],

Please accept this letter as my formal written notice that I will terminate my tenancy at [Rental property address] and vacate the premises on [Move-out date].

Under California Civil Code — Termination of Periodic Tenancies (Hiring of Real Property) (Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1946, 1946.1(e)), a month-to-month tenancy may be terminated by the tenant on 30 days written notice. This notice is given in accordance with that requirement and with any additional notice period my lease provides.

I will leave the unit clean and in good condition, ordinary wear and tear excepted, and will return all keys and access devices on or before my move-out date. I would like a move-out inspection during my final week; please propose a date and time.

Please send my security deposit, with any itemized statement required by law, to my forwarding address: [Your forwarding address]. Kindly confirm receipt of this notice in writing.

Sincerely,

[Your full name]

Know your rights

Notice to vacate law in California

Tenant notice required: 30 days
Governing statute: Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1946, 1946.1(e)
How the clock runs: The tenant gives written notice at least 30 days before the proposed termination date — Civ. Code § 1946.1(e) requires the tenant's notice to be 'at least as long as the term of the periodic tenancy,' i.e., 30 days for month-to-month. Notice may be given on any day of the month and need not end on the rent due date; rent for a final partial month is simply prorated.
Delivering the notice: Notice must be written and, under § 1946.1(f), served in the manner prescribed by Code of Civil Procedure § 1162 (personal service and its alternatives) or sent by certified or registered mail.
Fixed-term leases: A fixed-term lease simply expires on its end date with no statutory tenant notice, and if the landlord accepts rent afterward the tenancy renews as a periodic (month-to-month) tenancy under Civ. Code § 1945. Many California leases contractually require 30 days' written non-renewal notice, so check the lease.

Worth knowing: The rental agreement can shorten the tenant's notice to as little as 7 days (§ 1946), and while landlords owe 60 days after a tenant's first year of occupancy, the tenant's own obligation stays at 30 regardless of tenancy length. Victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, human trafficking, or elder abuse can terminate with 14 days' written notice plus documentation under Civ. Code § 1946.7. Statewide just-cause rules (AB 1482) and city rent-control ordinances restrict only the landlord's side — they do not change what notice the departing tenant owes.

Last reviewed August 2026 · General information, not legal advice · Read the statute · Also for California: security deposit demand letter

Field notes

Three tips before you send

Notice must be written and, under § 1946.1(f), served in the manner prescribed by Code of Civil Procedure § 1162 (personal service and its alternatives) or sent by certified or registered mail.
The tenant gives written notice at least 30 days before the proposed termination date — Civ. Code § 1946.1(e) requires the tenant's notice to be 'at least as long as the term of the periodic tenancy,' i.e., 30 days for month-to-month. Notice may be given on any day of the month and need not end on the rent due date; rent for a final partial month is simply prorated.
Date math is unforgiving — the clock usually runs from the day your landlord receives the notice, not the day you write it. Build in a few days of cushion, and photograph the empty unit when you hand back the keys.

Straight answers

Questions people ask

How much notice does a tenant have to give in California?

The tenant gives written notice at least 30 days before the proposed termination date — Civ. Code § 1946.1(e) requires the tenant's notice to be 'at least as long as the term of the periodic tenancy,' i.e., 30 days for month-to-month. Notice may be given on any day of the month and need not end on the rent due date; rent for a final partial month is simply prorated. The governing statute is California Civil Code — Termination of Periodic Tenancies (Hiring of Real Property).

What happens when a fixed-term lease ends in California?

A fixed-term lease simply expires on its end date with no statutory tenant notice, and if the landlord accepts rent afterward the tenancy renews as a periodic (month-to-month) tenancy under Civ. Code § 1945. Many California leases contractually require 30 days' written non-renewal notice, so check the lease. Check your lease for a renewal or notice clause — where the statute allows it, the lease controls.

Anything else California renters should know before moving out?

The rental agreement can shorten the tenant's notice to as little as 7 days (§ 1946), and while landlords owe 60 days after a tenant's first year of occupancy, the tenant's own obligation stays at 30 regardless of tenancy length. Victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, human trafficking, or elder abuse can terminate with 14 days' written notice plus documentation under Civ. Code § 1946.7. Statewide just-cause rules (AB 1482) and city rent-control ordinances restrict only the landlord's side — they do not change what notice the departing tenant owes.

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When to use this letter

Moving out should be the easy part — but in California, when you give notice and how you deliver it decide whether you owe another month of rent. The rule that matters: for a month-to-month tenancy, California law generally requires 30 days written notice from the tenant, under California Civil Code — Termination of Periodic Tenancies (Hiring of Real Property). This generator writes a tenant's notice to vacate that cites Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1946, 1946.1(e) by name, states your move-out date, and asks for the move-out inspection and your deposit instructions in the same letter — so nothing gets renegotiated later. No blank template to fight with: fill in your landlord, the address, and the date, then send it in a way you can prove, because notice clocks here run from delivery, not from the day you write it.