Ending a Tenancy and Notice Periods
Published: 18 October 2026
Notice periods changed on 30 January 2025. This page follows Tenancy Services and the Residential Tenancies Act as it stands in 2026.
Key Takeaways
- • Tenants give at least 21 days written notice on a periodic tenancy
- • Landlords can give 90 days written notice without a reason
- • 42 days is only for set grounds such as the owner moving in or an unconditional sale needing vacant possession
- • A fixed-term tenancy becomes periodic unless notice is given between 90 and 21 days before the end date
Confirm the tenancy type
A periodic tenancy has no fixed end date. It continues until someone gives proper written notice. A fixed-term tenancy has a start and end date. You cannot end a fixed term early just because you feel like it. The parties can agree, or a limited legal ground has to apply.
Look at the written agreement before you count days. The tenancy agreement guide covers what that document has to include.
Choose the correct notice period
On a periodic tenancy a tenant gives at least 21 days written notice. The landlord can agree in writing to a shorter time. If the landlord has already given 90 days and the tenant wants to leave sooner, the tenant still gives at least 21 days.
A landlord can end a periodic tenancy with at least 90 days written notice without giving a reason. The notice must not be retaliatory. If a tenant has just enforced a right, using notice as payback can be challenged at the Tenancy Tribunal.
42 days is allowed only for set grounds:
- • The owner or a family member will live there as their main home within 90 days of the end date and stay at least 90 days
- • There is an unconditional sale that requires vacant possession
- • The property is needed for the landlord's employees or contractors and the agreement already said that is how it is usually used
If the landlord gives less than 90 days, the reason has to be on the notice. Notice can be given on any day and can end on any day.
Put the notice in writing
A phone call is not a notice. Tenancy Services publishes templates for periodic notices. The notice needs the tenancy details, the end date and any reason you are relying on for a 42 day period. Keep a copy.
Rent arrears and serious breach sit on a different path. If rent is at least 21 days behind, a landlord can apply to end the tenancy. Climber's own arrears process starts earlier. See rent arrears management.
Ending a fixed-term tenancy
A fixed-term tenancy becomes periodic when it expires unless someone gives written notice between 90 and 21 days before the end date, or both sides agree something else. No specific reason is required for that end-of-term notice.
Missing that window is how owners discover they still have a tenant after the date they circled on a calendar. If you want the house back for sale or for family, count back from the end date and put the notice in writing in time.
Plan the exit and the bond
Once a date is set, book the exit inspection. Compare the house with the ingoing photos. Fair wear stays. Damage can come off the bond if the photos support it. The bond is lodged and refunded through Tenancy Services, not a private account.
Climber handles the notice, the inspection and the bond file as part of full property management. Owners still decide what to claim.
Questions landlords ask
How much notice does a tenant give on a periodic tenancy?
At least 21 days written notice, unless the landlord agrees in writing to a shorter time.
Can a landlord end a periodic tenancy without a reason?
Yes, with at least 90 days written notice. The notice must not be retaliatory. 42 days is only for set grounds such as the owner or family moving in or an unconditional sale that needs vacant possession.
How do you stop a fixed-term tenancy becoming periodic?
Either party gives written notice between 90 and 21 days before the end date. No specific reason is required.