Lease
Agreement to Terminate Residential Lease
End a residential tenancy early by mutual agreement. Fixes the move-out date and time, records how possession and keys come back, and captures a forwarding address — nothing more.
Available product levels
Standard Form
$5.99Fill-in-the-blank form for a straightforward transaction you already understand.
Customized Agreements
$29.99Guided questions and tailored clauses for agreements that need specific protections.
When to use this document
- A landlord and tenant who have already agreed to end the tenancy early
- Parties who need a short written record of the date, the handover, and the keys
- Anyone who intends to deal with money, damage, and the deposit separately
Information you will need
- The lease date and the property, including the unit
- Every landlord and every tenant named on the lease
- The agreed termination date and the move-out time
- How possession and access devices will be returned
- The tenant's forwarding address and the governing state
What you receive
- A 7-article mutual termination agreement
- Landlord, tenant, optional witness, and optional notary blocks
- Short completion and signing instructions
- PDF and editable DOCX after purchase
Special situations
- The parties have not actually agreed an end date — this document records an agreement, it does not create one
- Money is in dispute: unpaid rent, damage, or deposit deductions need the customized termination instead
- The tenancy is ending involuntarily — this is not an eviction notice and is not a court filing
- Only some tenants are leaving, which is a lease amendment rather than a termination
Jurisdiction
This document uses a general United States drafting baseline. Security-deposit deadlines, permitted deductions, notice periods, and what a landlord may charge on early termination are set by state and often city law, and those rules override what this document says. Confirm the requirements where the property is located. Locke Direct is a document-production service, not a law firm. This document is generated from the information you provide and is intended to be reviewed by legal counsel of your choice before use.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need this version or the customized one?
Use this one if you have already agreed the end date and intend to handle money separately. Use the Customized Residential Lease Termination if you want the deposit, final rent, condition inspection, utilities, and a release of claims settled in the same document. If money is unresolved between you, the customized version is the one you want.
What does this agreement not resolve?
Unpaid rent, other charges, damage claims, repair costs, security-deposit deductions or refund, utility balances, and personal property claims. Article 4 says so expressly. Those matters stay governed by the lease and applicable law until you settle them separately.
Does signing it release either party's claims?
No. Ending the tenancy is not a waiver, a release, a receipt, or a final accounting. Either party can still pursue a claim that existed under the lease.
Is this an eviction notice or a court form?
Neither. It records a voluntary agreement between a landlord and a tenant. It starts no court process and does not compel anyone to leave.
What if we have not agreed on the end date?
Then this document is premature. It records an agreement you have already reached; it cannot manufacture one. Agree the date first, and get it in writing here afterwards.
Who has to sign?
Every landlord and every tenant named on the lease. A tenant left off stays liable under the original lease, which can mean rent continuing to accrue against them after everyone has moved out.
Does returning the keys settle the deposit?
No. Returning access devices supports the fact that possession was surrendered, but it says nothing about the deposit. Deposit accounting runs on its own state-law timetable after move-out.
Why does it ask for a forwarding address?
Because that is where the deposit accounting and any later notice gets sent. A missing or stale address is the most common reason a tenant never receives a deposit they were owed.
Do we need a witness or a notary?
Usually not for a mutual termination, which is why both blocks are marked optional. Requirements vary, so confirm locally if either party wants the extra formality.
When is this short form not enough?
When money or damage is in dispute, when the tenancy is ending involuntarily, when only some tenants are leaving, or when either party wants a release of claims. The first calls for the customized termination; the others call for a different document or a lawyer.
Related documents and guides
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Last reviewed July 29, 2026.