A California 30 Day Notice to Vacate is a letter that complies with state legal requirements to terminate any tenancy of less than one (1) year. The non-terminating party must receive notice at least thirty (30) calendar days before the date of termination.
When To Use a California 30 Day Notice To Vacate
A California 30 Day Notice To Vacate terminates the following types of tenancy:
- A tenancy with a term of less than one (1) year
- An expired lease
- A rental with no written lease
- A tenancy where the tenant wishes to give notice of non-renewal, regardless of length or payment frequency
- A tenancy on a property that’s under a sales contract and qualifies under the state’s statutory requirements for early termination
Some types of California lease termination notice may allow different reasons for termination, or different notice periods. This may also apply to an eviction notice issued because of a lease or legal violation.
How To Write a California 30 Day Notice To Vacate
To help ensure the legal compliance of a Notice To Vacate:
- Use the full name of the receiving parties, and address of record, if known
- Specify the termination date of the lease or tenancy
- Fill in the full address of the rental premises
- Provide updated/current address and phone number information
- Print name and sign the notice
- Complete the certificate of service by indicating the date and method of notice delivery, along with printed name and signature
It is easy to lose an otherwise justified legal action because of improper notice. Check carefully to ensure enough time after notice is delivered, not when it’s sent.
How To Serve a California 30 Day Notice To Vacate
California law is not specific on how a tenant must serve a Notice To Vacate, so tenants may use any method which effectively delivers the notice to the landlord’s attention.
In most cases, to deliver a Notice To Vacate, a landlord must use one of the following methods (which also provide a legal gold standard for a tenant’s delivery of notice to a landlord):
- Hand delivery to the tenant
- If the tenant is absent from the residence and the tenant’s usual place of business: Hand delivery to a person of suitable age at either the residence or usual place of business, PLUS delivery by mail to the tenant’s residence
- If all forms of hand delivery fail: Posting the notice to a conspicuous place on the property, PLUS delivery by mail to the property, addressed to the tenant, PLUS (if possible) handing the notice to a person residing on the property
- Delivery by certified or registered mail
California considers service by mail to take place five (5) calendar days after mailing.
Sources
- 1 CA Civ Code § 1946
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Tenancies from month to month, either of the parties may terminate the same by giving at least 30 days’ written notice thereof at any time and the rent shall be due and payable to and including the date of termination. The owner of a residential dwelling giving notice pursuant to this section shall give notice at least 30 days prior to the proposed date of termination if any tenant or resident has resided in the dwelling for less than one year.
An owner of a residential dwelling giving notice pursuant to this section shall give notice at least 30 days prior to the proposed date of termination if all of the following apply:
(1) The dwelling or unit is alienable separate from the title to any other dwelling unit.
(2) The owner has contracted to sell the dwelling or unit to a bona fide purchaser for value, and has established an escrow with a title insurer or an underwritten title company, as defined in Sections 12340.4 and 12340.5 of the Insurance Code, respectively, a licensed escrow agent, as defined in Sections 17004 and 17200 of the Financial Code, or a licensed real estate broker, as defined in Section 10131 of the Business and Professions Code.
(3) The purchaser is a natural person or persons.
(4) The notice is given no more than 120 days after the escrow has been established.
(5) Notice was not previously given to the tenant pursuant to this section.
(6) The purchaser in good faith intends to reside in the property for at least one full year after the termination of the tenancy.
(e) After an owner has given notice of his or her intention to terminate the tenancy pursuant to this section, a tenant may also give notice of his or her intention to terminate the tenancy pursuant to this section, provided that the tenant’s notice is for a period at least as long as the term of the periodic tenancy and the proposed date of termination occurs before the owner’s proposed date of termination.
(f) The notices required by this section shall be given in the manner prescribed in Section 1162 of the Code of Civil Procedure or by sending a copy by certified or registered mail.
(g) This section may not be construed to affect the authority of a public entity that otherwise exists to regulate or monitor the basis for eviction.
(h) Any notice given by an owner pursuant to this section shall contain, in substantially the same form, the following:
“State law permits former tenants to reclaim abandoned personal property left at the former address of the tenant, subject to certain conditions. You may or may not be able to reclaim property without incurring additional costs, depending on the cost of storing the property and the length of time before it is reclaimed. In general, these costs will be lower the sooner you contact your former landlord after being notified that property belonging to you was left behind after you moved out.”
Source Link - 2 Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1162
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The notices required by Sections 1161 and 1161a may be served by any of the following methods:
(1) By delivering a copy to the tenant personally.
(2) If he or she is absent from his or her place of residence, and from his or her usual place of business, by leaving a copy with some person of suitable age and discretion at either place, and sending a copy through the mail addressed to the tenant at his or her place of residence.
(3) If such place of residence and business cannot be ascertained, or a person of suitable age or discretion there can not be found, then by affixing a copy in a conspicuous place on the property, and also delivering a copy to a person there residing, if such person can be found; and also sending a copy through the mail addressed to the tenant at the place where the property is situated. Service upon a subtenant may be made in the same manner.
Source Link - 3 Cal. Civ. Code § 1946.1(f)
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The notices required by this section shall be given in the manner prescribed in Section 1162 of the Code of Civil Procedure or by sending a copy by certified or registered mail.
Source Link - 4 Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1013(a)
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Source Link
Service is complete at the time of the deposit, but any period of notice and any right or duty to do any act or make any response within any period or on a date certain after service of the document, which time period or date is prescribed by statute or rule of court, shall be extended five calendar days, upon service by mail, if the place of address and the place of mailing is within the State of California, 10 calendar days if either the place of mailing or the place of address is outside the State of California but within the United States, 12 calendar days if the place of address is the Secretary of State’s address confidentiality program (Chapter 3.1 (commencing with Section 6205) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code), and 20 calendar days if either the place of mailing or the place of address is outside the United States, but the extension shall not apply to extend the time for filing notice of intention to move for new trial, notice of intention to move to vacate judgment pursuant to Section 663a, or notice of appeal. This extension applies in the absence of a specific exception provided for by this section or other statute or rule of court.