Terminating a Lease in 2026: What Notice Period Applies to Tenants?

Have you found a new apartment and want to terminate your lease? Then you should pay close attention now! A late notice of termination or a missing signature could mean you have to pay rent longer than planned.

• How do you properly give notice to end your lease? What is the required notice period? And is an email to the landlord enough?
• Here’s what you need to know.

Terminating a Lease: What Is the Notice Period in 2026?

• If you have a residential lease agreement with no fixed term, your statutory notice period is generally three months.
• According to Section 573c(1) of the German Civil Code (BGB), your notice of termination must be received by the landlord no later than the third business day of a month so that your lease ends at the end of the month after next.
• Example: If your notice of termination is received by the landlord in a timely manner in early November 2026, your lease can end on January 31, 2027.
• Important: What matters is not when you send the notice of termination, but when it is received by the landlord.

Can I terminate a lease agreement via email?

No. When terminating a residential lease, the law requires that the notice be in writing.

This means:

• You must submit your notice of termination in writing.
• The notice of termination must be signed by you personally.
• The notice of termination must be received by the landlord in a timely manner.
• A regular email, WhatsApp message, or text message is not sufficient for this purpose.
• Even a scanned signature on a PDF does not satisfy the legal requirement for written form.

Terminating a Lease: Do All Tenants Have to Sign?

• Yes, if multiple people have signed the lease together, all tenants must generally give notice of termination.
• Unless, of course, one tenant remains on the lease. You can agree to this using this legal document 👉 Tenant moves out – Continue the lease with one tenant
• For example, if two partners signed the lease together, one of them generally cannot terminate the entire lease on their own.
• If a required signature is missing, the termination may be invalid.

Terminating a Lease: Do You Need a Reason to Terminate It?

• With an open-ended residential lease, as a tenant, you generally do not need a reason to give notice for ordinary termination.
• This means you don’t have to explain to your landlord why you’re moving out.
• Whether you’ve found a larger apartment, are moving in with your partner, or simply want to move—it’s entirely up to you.

Serving a Notice of Termination Correctly: Why Proof Is Important

A common mistake: The notice is written on time but arrives too late at the landlord’s address.

That’s why you should arrange for delivery in a way that allows you to prove receipt.

Possible ways include:

• Personal delivery against written confirmation of receipt. You can find it here 👉 Proof of delivery of your legal document
• Send it by registered mail, but proof of delivery must be available in case of a dispute. Therefore, keep the tracking receipt for the registered letter in your records.
• Plan ahead and allow plenty of time. A delayed delivery could postpone the end of the tenancy by a month.

Terminating a rental agreement with a template: How to avoid typical mistakes

Do you want to terminate your tenancy without having to write a legally valid notice of termination yourself?

With PepperPapers’ tenant termination tool, you can create your own legally reviewed termination letter.

The template takes into account in particular:

• Termination with notice effective as of the next possible date
• The important formal requirements
• Provisions to prevent an unintended contract extension
• Notes on the notice period and service of notice
• You fill in your personal information, download the completed document, print it out, and sign it by hand.

Cancel Your Lease Now – for Just €9.99

Found a new apartment? Then don’t risk having to pay rent for longer than necessary because of a preventable mistake.

With the PepperPapers tenant notice of termination—reviewed by attorneys—you can quickly and easily draft your own notice of termination.

Fill it out. Download. Done.

Be your own advocate!