Free Idaho Lease Termination Letter Template

An Idaho lease termination letter ends a tenancy at will under Idaho Code Section 55-208. Either the landlord or the tenant can send one, and both work to the same period, which the statute measures in months rather than days. Writing is mandatory either way.

Section 55-208 runs to two subsections, one for each side of the arrangement.

Landlord Notice

Subsection (1) lets a landlord end a tenancy at will by giving notice in writing to the tenant, in the manner prescribed by the code of civil procedure, to remove from the premises within a period of not less than one month, which the notice specifies. These periods can change, so read the current statute before fixing a date.

Tenant Notice

Subsection (2) mirrors that. A tenant gives notice in writing to the landlord that they will be vacating the premises on a date specified in the notice, and that date falls not less than one month from the date of notice.

Service Follows Civil Procedure

One phrase in subsection (1) does real work. Because a landlord’s notice goes out in the manner prescribed by the code of civil procedure, the delivery method is not a matter of preference. Subsection (2) carries no equivalent instruction for a tenant’s notice.

A month. Section 55-208 uses the phrase not less than one month in both subsections, and the section never mentions a day count anywhere. That distinction matters in February, and it matters again in any month running to 31 days.

Working from the calendar rather than a tally of days keeps you clear of the problem. A notice given on the 12th of one month reaches the one-month mark on the 12th of the next, whatever the length of the month in between.

An Idaho lease termination letter needs a date and a delivery method, in that order.

1. Confirm the arrangement is a tenancy at will.
2. Choose a vacate date at least one calendar month out.
3. Write that date into the notice.
4. As a landlord, serve it in the manner the code of civil procedure prescribes.
5. Keep proof of when the notice went out.

Section 55-208 keeps its content requirements short, so a complete letter covers the basics.

• The address of the premises
• The names of the landlord and the tenant
• The date the tenant will vacate, or the period to remove
• Whether the landlord or the tenant is giving notice
• A forwarding address
• Signature and date

The section leaves everything else to the parties. Because it says nothing about reasons, neither side has to explain the decision in the notice, although a rental agreement may add terms of its own on top.

Deposits then run on a different clock. Idaho Code Section 6-321(2) sets two deadlines rather than one: refunds go back within 21 days where the agreement fixes no time, and in any event within 30 days after the tenant surrenders the premises. A lease may stretch that window, but only as far as the 30-day outer limit.

Any refund short of the full deposit carries paperwork with it. The same subsection requires a signed statement itemizing the amounts the landlord lawfully retained, the purpose for each, and a detailed list of expenditures made from the deposit. Under subsection (3), meanwhile, a new owner becomes liable for refunding deposits where a property changes hands during a tenancy. Date your Idaho lease termination letter from the calendar, give a forwarding address, and the rest follows.