A tenancy agreement is a legally binding contract that can only be ended in certain ways. Notice to end a tenancy must be in writing.

A tenant gives the Notice of intention to leave to the property manager/owner when they want to vacate the property by a certain date.

The tenant should use this form:

• to end a periodic agreement
• at the end of a fixed term agreement
• if they have grounds to end a fixed term agreement early or if they are breaking the lease

If the tenant is giving this notice because of an unremedied breach by the property manager/owner it does not guarantee they can end the fixed term agreement early without having to pay compensation.

Tenants who are impacted by the COVID-19 emergency and need to end their fixed term agreement early may be eligible for capped break lease costs equivalent to one week’s rent. For further information and eligibility criteria, please refer to the Residential Tenancies Practice Guide.

The tenant can also apply for dispute resolution assistance for non-urgent matters or apply directly to QCAT for urgent matters before giving a Notice of intention to leave.

Tenants who believe they can no longer safely occupy the premises due to experiencing domestic and family violence can end their interest in a tenancy quickly and safely by completing a Notice ending tenancy interest (domestic and family violence) (Form 20) and provide it to the property owner/manager with relevant evidence.

When serving notices by post, the sender must allow time for the mail to arrive when working out notice periods.

Minimum notice periods

*Parties can agree to end earlier but it must be agreed in writing.

Grounds for which this notice may not be used