Thinking of sending a termination notice by text or email?, then you better think again. The only approved way to communicate a termination notice is in writing. We strongly recommend that the termination notice is hand delivered to the tenant. If this is not possible, post should be registered.

Residential Tenancy Termination

A valid termination notice issued by a landlord or agent must:

• Be in writing
• Be dated
• Include the landlord or agent signature
• State the grounds for terminating the tenancy
• Give the date that the tenant must vacate the property and state that the tenant has 24 hours to vacate the property
• State that the tenant as 28 days from the date the termination notice is received to refer it to the Residential Tenancies Board if they have any concerns regarding the validity or the landlords right to serve the termination notice
• Be accompanied by a statement/statutory declaration where required.

Particular attention must be paid to the termination notice as failure to comply with the above points may result in the termination notice being deemed invalid. If the termination notice is deemed invalid then the clock starts again.

Sample termination notices are available here

Another important point to consider is the notice period that must be given to the tenant. The longer the tenancy the greater the notice period. Details of notice periods are available here . When calculating the earliest termination date, the notice period starts the day after the tenant receives the termination notice. If in doubt always add a few extra days.

Tenant Ready – The Key to Successful Letting