Ready to move out? End it the right way — and leave with your deposit.

How much notice — and how to give it

Since the Renters’ Rights Act came into force on 1 May 2026, almost all private tenancies in England are periodic (they roll month to month). Fixed terms and minimum terms have gone, so as a tenant you have a flexible right to leave:

• Give at least 2 months’ notice to quit, in writing. A letter or email is fine (a text only where it’s clearly accepted) — always keep a dated copy.
• It should end at the end of a rental period — usually the day rent falls due, or the day before the next period starts. Get the date right or the notice may not be valid.
• You can serve it whenever you like, even on the first day of the tenancy — there’s no longer a fixed term tying you in.
• State plainly that this is your notice to quit, the date you intend to leave, and your name(s) and the address.
• You can usually withdraw the notice before it takes effect — but only if the landlord agrees.

Joint tenancy? One signature can end it for everyone

This is the trap that catches house-shares and couples. In a joint periodic tenancy, a valid notice to quit from just one joint tenant can end the tenancy for all of you — not only the person leaving. The others can be left having to negotiate a brand-new agreement with the landlord, or move out.

• Agree as a group first. If one of you wants out, talk to the others and the landlord before anyone serves notice.
• Ideally everyone signs the notice, or sends one joint email clearly on behalf of all the tenants.
• If you want to stay but a co-tenant is leaving, ask the landlord about a new tenancy for those remaining, or a replacement tenant.

Leaving the property — the move-out checklist

Once your notice date is set, leave the place in a state that protects your deposit and avoids a chasing letter later:

• Pay rent to the end of the notice period — you owe it right up to the day the tenancy ends.
• Close or transfer the bills — energy, water, council tax, broadband — and tell them your leaving date.
• Take final meter readings (gas, electric, water) and photograph them with the date.
• Take dated move-out photos of every room against the original inventory — your best defence on the deposit.
• Remove everything and clean to the standard you took it in (fair wear and tear is not chargeable).
• Return the keys and get confirmation in writing that you’ve handed them back.
• Leave a forwarding address so the landlord can return the deposit and post anything on.

Getting your deposit back — and disputing unfair deductions

Your deposit should be held in a government-backed tenancy deposit protection scheme. When you leave, the landlord proposes any deductions; if you both agree, the scheme releases the money — usually within around 10 days of agreement.

• Disagree with a deduction? Use the scheme’s free dispute resolution — the landlord has to prove any deduction with evidence, and fair wear and tear can’t be charged for.
• Deposit never protected? A separate, stronger right applies — you can claim the deposit back plus a penalty. See our deposit-protection guide.
• Move-in and move-out photos, the inventory and your meter readings are what win disputes.

Ending a tenancy — common questions