District of Columbia Tenant Notice of Intent to Vacate

District of Columbia Landlord & Tenant Updated July 22, 2026 Free Word and PDF

District of Columbia Tenant Notice of Intent to Vacate

Use this form for ordinary expiration or month-to-month termination. A protected early termination requires a separate ground-specific notice.

District Timing Gate

After the signed lease term, renewal, or extension has expired, D.C. Code § 42-3505.54 permits a residential month-to-month tenancy to be terminated by the tenant's 30-day written notice. The notice expires on the first day of the first month at least 30 days after the notice date. Section 42-3505.53 restricts an initial-lease provision requiring more than 30 days' notice unless the lease explicitly states that the provision expires with the initial term and preserves a later month-to-month right to vacate on 30 days' notice. Review the lease carefully for an initial-term departure.

  • Tenancy: ☐ Initial fixed term ending [__/__/____] ☐ Post-term month-to-month ☐ Other: [________]
  • If month-to-month, notice expires on the first day of the first month at least 30 days after notice: ☐ Yes
  • Initial-term lease language complies with § 42-3505.53: ☐ Yes ☐ Not applicable
  • Subsidy, rent-control, and program requirements checked: ☐ Yes
  • This is not an unsupported early termination: ☐ Confirmed

1. Notice

Date: [__/__/____]

To: [HOUSING PROVIDER / MANAGER NAME]
Notice address: [________________________________]

From tenant(s): [________________________________]
Rental premises: [________________________________]

I give written notice of my intention to quit and will vacate and surrender possession on [TERMINATION / MOVE-OUT DATE].

  • Notice date/delivery date: [__/__/____]
  • First qualifying month-start date: [__/__/____]
  • Effective-date calculation: [________________________________]
  • Lease section, if any: [________________________________]

This notice does not waive any tenant right or housing-provider duty and does not assert a protected early-termination ground requiring a different notice.

2. Move-Out Coordination

  • Requested inspection date/time: [________________________________]
  • Keys/access devices will be returned at: [________________________________]
  • Utilities scheduled for transfer/termination: ☐ Yes ☐ Not applicable
  • Forwarding address for deposit/accounting and later communications:

[____________________________________________________________]

  • Other move-out arrangements: [________________________________]

3. Signatures

Tenant signature/name/date: [________________________________]

Co-tenant signature/name/date: [________________________________]

Phone/email: [________________________________]

4. Delivery Record

  • Method verified under lease/current law: ☐ Personal delivery ☐ Mail ☐ Other: [________]
  • Person/address delivered to: [________________________________]
  • Date/time delivered or mailed: [__/__/____] [____]
  • Receipt/tracking/witness: [________________________________]
  • Signed copy and proof retained: ☐ Yes

Sources and References

  • D.C. Code § 42-3505.53 — D.C. Law Library — https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/42-3505.53
  • D.C. Code § 42-3505.54 — D.C. Law Library — https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/42-3505.54

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About this template

Last updated
July 22, 2026
Citations checked
July 22, 2026
Jurisdiction
District of Columbia
Category
Landlord & Tenant

Legal authority

  • D.C. Code §§ 42-3505.53, 42-3505.54

Landlord-tenant paperwork governs who can stay in a property, on what terms, and what happens when something goes wrong. Leases, notices to quit, security deposit demands, and habitability complaints all have state and often city-specific requirements for timing, content, and service. Getting the paperwork right is what makes an eviction actually succeed or a security deposit actually come back, because judges regularly dismiss cases over small procedural mistakes.

Not legal advice

This template is provided for informational purposes. We recommend having an attorney review any legal document before signing, especially for high-value or complex matters.

Checked against the law it cites

A reviewer verified this template's legal citations against the official source on July 22, 2026.

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