Ending a tenancy: the order of operations that avoids a dispute

Ending a tenancy is a sequence, and most disputes come from doing the steps in the wrong order: inspecting before the tenant has finished moving, claiming from the deposit before the inventory has been compared, serving notice that is a day short. The law differs by jurisdiction, but the order of operations does not, and getting the order right removes most of the argument.

Ending a tenancy: the sequence

1. Confirm what kind of tenancy it is and what the agreement says about notice — a fixed term ending is not the same as a periodic tenancy being brought to an end.
2. Calculate the notice period from the rent period, not from the calendar month, and write down how you calculated it.
3. Serve notice in the form and by the method the agreement or the statute requires, and keep proof of service with the date.
4. Acknowledge the tenant's notice in writing if they gave it, confirming the end date as you understand it. Ambiguity here is the single most expensive mistake.
5. Agree the check-out appointment for after the property is empty, with the keys returned.
6. Inspect against the check-in inventory, item by item, with new photographs of the same views.
7. Read the meters, record the readings, and confirm who is responsible for the final bills.
8. Propose any deductions in writing with the evidence attached, and give the tenant a chance to respond before claiming from the scheme.

Notice: where it usually fails

• Counting the notice period from the date the letter was written rather than the date it was received.
• Using a form that was superseded, or omitting prescribed wording.
• Serving while a statutory duty is unmet — an unprotected deposit or a missing safety record can block the route entirely.
• No proof of service, so the tenant can simply say the notice never arrived.
• A notice that ends mid rent period when the tenancy type does not allow it.

Draft the notice and the covering letter from a saved template so the wording does not get reinvented under time pressure. Ettex Docs keeps the versions, which matters when you need to show what was sent rather than what you meant to send.

The final inspection

Inspect once, when the property is empty, and inspect against the original list. A check-out that wanders — a note here, a photograph there — cannot be compared to anything. The property inventory you completed at check-in decides what this inspection is even measuring; without it, a deduction is an assertion.

Do not begin cleaning or repairs before the tenant has seen the proposed deductions. Work done first destroys the evidence for the claim you are about to make.

Deposit: propose, do not seize

Set out each deduction as a line: the item, the inventory reference, the condition at check-in and at check-out, the cost, and the apportionment for the item's age. Send it, wait the stated period, and only then go to the scheme with whatever remains disputed. Landlords who claim first and justify afterwards lose adjudications they would otherwise have won.

Commercial terms carry their own early exit, with far stricter conditions. A break clause fails on small things: a defective notice, an unpaid balance, or items left behind defeating vacant possession.

Closing the file

• Final rent account reconciled, with any apportionment for a part month shown.
• Meter readings and the date of transfer of utility responsibility.
• Keys and fobs counted back in, against the count at check-in.
• Forwarding address recorded, because you may need to serve documents later.
• The whole tenancy file — agreement, inventory, certificates, correspondence — retained together rather than scattered.
• The landlord compliance register updated, since several duties reset at the next letting.