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Ohio Notice to Vacate Letter

Fill in your details, review the ohio notice to vacate letter, and edit the wording before you send. Copy the finished text or download a Word file for free.

[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 Termination of periodic tenancies (Landlords and Tenants Act) (Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.17(B)), 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 Ohio

Tenant notice required: 30 days
Governing statute: Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.17(B)
How the clock runs: The tenant may terminate or fail to renew a month-to-month tenancy by notice given at least 30 days 'prior to the periodic rental date' — count back from the day rent next comes due, so the notice generally must reach the landlord on or before a rent due date to end the tenancy at the close of that rental period.
Delivering the notice: The statute does not prescribe writing or a delivery method for this notice, but a written, dated notice hand-delivered or sent by certified mail with proof retained is the safe practice.
Fixed-term leases: A fixed-term lease ends on its stated date without statutory notice unless the lease requires advance notice or auto-renews; if the tenant holds over and the landlord accepts rent, a periodic (typically month-to-month) tenancy arises and the § 5321.17 notice rules then apply.

Worth knowing: Week-to-week tenancies need only seven days' notice under § 5321.17(A). Because the 30 days runs to the periodic rental date, quitting mid-period does not prorate your rent — you owe through the end of the rental period your notice lands on, and a lease can lengthen (though not eliminate) the notice both sides owe. Ohio has no general statewide domestic-violence early-termination statute, so DV-related exits depend on lease clauses or federal protections, and servicemembers can terminate under the federal SCRA. Landlords, by contrast, can terminate on only three days' notice for certain drug-related violations under § 5321.17(C).

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

Field notes

Three tips before you send

The statute does not prescribe writing or a delivery method for this notice, but a written, dated notice hand-delivered or sent by certified mail with proof retained is the safe practice.
The tenant may terminate or fail to renew a month-to-month tenancy by notice given at least 30 days 'prior to the periodic rental date' — count back from the day rent next comes due, so the notice generally must reach the landlord on or before a rent due date to end the tenancy at the close of that rental period.
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 Ohio?

The tenant may terminate or fail to renew a month-to-month tenancy by notice given at least 30 days 'prior to the periodic rental date' — count back from the day rent next comes due, so the notice generally must reach the landlord on or before a rent due date to end the tenancy at the close of that rental period. The governing statute is Termination of periodic tenancies (Landlords and Tenants Act).

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

A fixed-term lease ends on its stated date without statutory notice unless the lease requires advance notice or auto-renews; if the tenant holds over and the landlord accepts rent, a periodic (typically month-to-month) tenancy arises and the § 5321.17 notice rules then apply. Check your lease for a renewal or notice clause — where the statute allows it, the lease controls.

Anything else Ohio renters should know before moving out?

Week-to-week tenancies need only seven days' notice under § 5321.17(A). Because the 30 days runs to the periodic rental date, quitting mid-period does not prorate your rent — you owe through the end of the rental period your notice lands on, and a lease can lengthen (though not eliminate) the notice both sides owe. Ohio has no general statewide domestic-violence early-termination statute, so DV-related exits depend on lease clauses or federal protections, and servicemembers can terminate under the federal SCRA. Landlords, by contrast, can terminate on only three days' notice for certain drug-related violations under § 5321.17(C).

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When to use this letter

Moving out should be the easy part — but in Ohio, 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, Ohio law generally requires 30 days written notice from the tenant, under Termination of periodic tenancies (Landlords and Tenants Act). This generator writes a tenant's notice to vacate that cites Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.17(B) 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.