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Rhode Island 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 Residential Landlord and Tenant Act — Termination of Periodic Tenancy (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-37), 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 Rhode Island

Tenant notice required: 30 days
Governing statute: R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-37
How the clock runs: A month-to-month tenant terminates by written notice delivered to the landlord at least 30 days before the termination date specified in the notice. The statute keys to the date the tenant specifies rather than to a periodic rental date, though ending on the last day of a rental period is the cleanest practice.
Delivering the notice: Notice must be written, delivered to the landlord (hand delivery or mail), and in a form substantially similar to the statutory notice form set out in § 34-18-56(c) — an unusual Rhode Island formality worth following.
Fixed-term leases: A fixed-term lease ends at its expiration date; if the tenant holds over and the landlord continues accepting rent, a month-to-month tenancy arises under the Act and the 30-day rule then applies. Any lease renewal clause controls first.

Worth knowing: Week-to-week tenants need only 10 days' written notice, and the same 30-day rule covers any periodic tenancy longer than a month but less than a year. The requirement that termination notices track the statutory form in § 34-18-56(c) is distinctive — a bare informal note risks being challenged as defective. The section governs both sides, so the landlord owes the tenant the identical 30 days to end a month-to-month tenancy without cause.

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

Field notes

Three tips before you send

Notice must be written, delivered to the landlord (hand delivery or mail), and in a form substantially similar to the statutory notice form set out in § 34-18-56(c) — an unusual Rhode Island formality worth following.
A month-to-month tenant terminates by written notice delivered to the landlord at least 30 days before the termination date specified in the notice. The statute keys to the date the tenant specifies rather than to a periodic rental date, though ending on the last day of a rental period is the cleanest practice.
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 Rhode Island?

A month-to-month tenant terminates by written notice delivered to the landlord at least 30 days before the termination date specified in the notice. The statute keys to the date the tenant specifies rather than to a periodic rental date, though ending on the last day of a rental period is the cleanest practice. The governing statute is Residential Landlord and Tenant Act — Termination of Periodic Tenancy.

What happens when a fixed-term lease ends in Rhode Island?

A fixed-term lease ends at its expiration date; if the tenant holds over and the landlord continues accepting rent, a month-to-month tenancy arises under the Act and the 30-day rule then applies. Any lease renewal clause controls first. Check your lease for a renewal or notice clause — where the statute allows it, the lease controls.

Anything else Rhode Island renters should know before moving out?

Week-to-week tenants need only 10 days' written notice, and the same 30-day rule covers any periodic tenancy longer than a month but less than a year. The requirement that termination notices track the statutory form in § 34-18-56(c) is distinctive — a bare informal note risks being challenged as defective. The section governs both sides, so the landlord owes the tenant the identical 30 days to end a month-to-month tenancy without cause.

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When to use this letter

Moving out should be the easy part — but in Rhode Island, 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, Rhode Island law generally requires 30 days written notice from the tenant, under Residential Landlord and Tenant Act — Termination of Periodic Tenancy. This generator writes a tenant's notice to vacate that cites R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-37 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.