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Florida · Moving out

Florida notice to vacate — the 30 days rule and a free letter

Florida rewrote its month-to-month rule in 2023: Fla. Stat. § 83.57(3) now requires not less than 30 days’ notice — up from 15 — and thousands of older templates and blog posts still show the outdated number. The timing rule matters as much as the day count: the notice must be given “prior to the end of any monthly period,” so your termination should land on the last day of a rental month, not the 12th or the 19th. Both landlord and tenant owe the same 30 days, and Florida has no statewide rent control or just-cause requirement. The deposit rules are their own maze: § 83.49(3)(a) gives the landlord 15 days to return your money if there’s no claim, or 30 days to mail a certified-letter claim you can dispute within 15 days — and if you leave before your lease ends, § 83.49(5) asks you for 7 days’ written notice of vacating to keep those protections fully intact.

30 daystenant month-to-month notice · Fla. Stat. § 83.57(3)

Not legal advice — general information for Florida. Last reviewed: July 2026.

Notice-period check

Your date clears the state minimum

August 7, 2026 gives 35 days' notice — at or above Florida's 30 days minimum for month-to-month tenants (Fla. Stat. § 83.57(3)). If your lease requires more, the lease controls.

Most statutes count notice to the end of a rental period — if rent is due on the 1st, plan to move out on the last day of a month.

[Tenant name(s)]

[Rental address]

July 3, 2026

[Landlord / property manager name]

Landlord / Property Manager

RE: Notice of intent to vacate — [Rental address]

Dear [Landlord / property manager name],

Please accept this letter as my written notice of intent to vacate the rental unit at [Rental address]. My tenancy will end and I will deliver possession of the premises no later than August 7, 2026. This provides at least 30 days of written notice, as required for month-to-month tenancies in Florida (Fla. Stat. § 83.57(3)).

I will remove all personal belongings, return all keys and access devices, and leave the unit in clean condition, normal wear and tear excepted. Please contact me to schedule a move-out inspection.

I will provide a forwarding address for the return of my security deposit before my move-out date.

This notice is delivered via certified mail with return receipt requested on July 3, 2026.

Sincerely,

[Tenant name(s)]
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Florida notice rules

  • ✓Give at least 30 days’ written notice — the 2023 amendment (HB 1417) raised it from 15, so ignore older templates that say otherwise.
  • ✓Time it to the rental month: notice must be given before the end of a monthly period, and your move-out lands on the last day of that period.
  • ✓Deliver by mail or personal delivery — Fla. Stat. § 83.56(4) recognizes mailing, hand delivery, or leaving a copy at the residence for Part II notices.
  • ✓Leaving before the lease ends? § 83.49(5) asks for at least 7 days’ written notice by certified mail or personal delivery, with your address, to preserve the full deposit-notice protections.
  • ✓A fixed-term lease can require its own non-renewal notice — § 83.575 caps it at 60 days and it only binds you if the landlord owes you the same notice.
  • ✓Include a forwarding address: the landlord has 15 days to return the deposit or 30 days to mail a claim against it (§ 83.49(3)(a)).

For landlords

Florida is symmetric: landlords also owe 30 days’ notice before the end of a monthly period to end a month-to-month tenancy (§ 83.57(3), as amended in 2023). There is no statewide rent control — state law preempts local rent-control ordinances — and no just-cause requirement, so a properly noticed non-renewal is generally lawful.

Worked example with real dates

Keisha rents month-to-month in Tampa at $1,750 with rent due on the 1st, and wants to be out by September 30, 2026. Under § 83.57(3) her 30-day notice must be delivered no later than August 31 — 30 days before the end of the September monthly period. She mails it certified on August 24, giving herself a week of margin for delivery. If she waited until September 5, the notice couldn’t end the September period; the earliest lawful move-out would slide to October 31, a full extra month of rent. Her letter includes her new Orlando forwarding address. With no damage claim, her landlord owes the $1,750 deposit back within 15 days of termination — by October 15 — or must mail a certified-letter claim within 30 days, which Keisha would then have 15 days to dispute in writing.

Florida notice to vacate FAQ

Is the notice to vacate in Florida 15 days or 30 days?

30 days, since July 2023. HB 1417 amended Fla. Stat. § 83.57 to require not less than 30 days’ notice before the end of a monthly period, for both tenants and landlords. Many form sites and older leases still say 15 days — the statute controls, and a 15-day notice today is short.

Does my Florida move-out date have to be the end of the month?

Effectively yes, when rent runs monthly. § 83.57(3) requires notice “not less than 30 days prior to the end of any monthly period,” so the tenancy terminates at a period’s end — if rent is due the 1st, that means the last day of a calendar month. Give notice mid-month and your obligation still runs to the end of the month that completes the 30 days.

How fast do I get my security deposit back in Florida?

If the landlord makes no claim: 15 days after termination (§ 83.49(3)(a)). If they intend to keep part of it, they must mail you a certified-letter notice of the claim within 30 days, and you get 15 days to object in writing. If you vacate before your lease ends, send the § 83.49(5) 7-day written notice with your address — skipping it relieves the landlord of the claim-notice requirement, though not your right to the deposit itself.

My Florida lease is fixed-term — do I still need to send notice?

Check the lease. Fla. Stat. § 83.575 lets a fixed-term lease require written notice before you vacate at lease end — but never more than 60 days, and the clause is only enforceable if the landlord owes you equivalent notice of non-renewal. If you stay past the term and keep paying monthly, you become month-to-month and the 30-day rule in § 83.57(3) takes over.

Sources

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