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Lease termination letter template for Austria

Tenant's notice to end the leaseKündigung des Mietvertrags durch den Mieter

The tenant's signed letter that ends a flat lease. Under a fixed lease covered by the MRG the tenant can leave after the first year with 3 months' notice to the end of a month. Under an open-ended lease the period is usually 1 month to the end of a month. The notice counts from the day the landlord receives it.

Use it when you rent a flat and want to leave. You need no reason. Check your lease first: whether it is fixed or open-ended, which notice period it states, and whether the MRG applies. A fixed lease outside the MRG, for example a house with one or two units, usually ends only at its term unless you have an important reason. The landlord's notice follows other rules: the landlord can end a lease covered by the MRG only through the court and only for a reason the MRG lists.

Reviewed October 28, 2026. Not legal advice. Have a notary or lawyer check your case before you sign.

Official model: Mietvertrag - Kündigung (Muster)

Sample letter listed on oesterreich.gv.at, the federal government portal, which links to the current version published by the Arbeiterkammer. Its use is optional.

Key facts

Applies to
Whole country
Fixed lease under the MRG
After 1 year of the agreed or extended term, 3 months' notice to the last day of a month (MRG § 29(2)).
Earliest end, fixed lease
The last day of the 16th month of the term (MRG § 29(2)).
Renewed fixed lease
After a renewal by law, notice at any time with 3 months to the last day of a month (MRG § 29(3)(b)).
Open-ended lease
Usually 1 month to the last day of a month, unless the lease states otherwise.
Form
In writing with your signature, or through the court (MRG § 33(1)). A plain email is not valid.
Late arrival
A notice that arrives after the period has started takes effect on the next date for which the period is still open (MRG § 33(1)).
Landlord's notice
Only through the court, with the grounds stated, and only for a reason listed in MRG § 30.
Deposit
For a lease under the MRG, returned with interest without delay after the lease ends, less justified claims (MRG § 16b(2)).

The document

Text shown

You sign the German version. The English version helps you understand it. Your answers fill both.

Tenant's notice to end the lease

  1. 1.Sender and recipient

    1. 1.1

      Tenant or tenants, Address of the rented flat. To Landlord or property manager, Landlord's or property manager's address. Place of writing, on Date of writing.

      Name the landlord as in the lease.

    2. 1.2

      Registered with return receipt. Subject: Notice to terminate the lease of the flat at Address of the rented flat.

      If you hand the letter over in person, replace the first words with "Persönlich übergeben" and have the landlord sign and date your copy.

  2. 2.Notice

    1. 2.1

      Optional

      Dear Sir or Madam, I/we hereby give notice to terminate the fixed-term lease of the above flat signed on Date the lease was signed, under MRG § 29(2), with three months' notice, effective Date the lease ends.

      Fixed lease under the MRG, after its first year. Keep this clause or the next, not both. End date: a month's last day, 3 full months or more after receipt.

    2. 2.2

      Optional

      Dear Sir or Madam, I/we hereby give notice to terminate the open-ended lease of the above flat signed on Date the lease was signed, with the agreed notice period, effective Date the lease ends.

      Open-ended lease. End date: a month's last day, after the period in your lease. If the lease states none, 1 month is the usual rule.

    3. 2.3

      Should this notice not arrive in time, it applies to the next possible termination date.

      The law already gives this effect to a late written notice. The sentence makes it clear to the landlord.

  3. 3.Return of the flat

    1. 3.1

      For the return of the flat and a joint handover report, I/we propose the following dates: Proposed dates for the handover. Please confirm one of them.

      Propose two or three dates and times before the end date.

  4. 4.Deposit and new address

    1. 4.1

      Please transfer the deposit with interest without delay after the flat is returned to the account IBAN Your IBAN for the deposit. My/Our new address is: New address.

      If the deposit does not arrive, send a written demand with a deadline before going to court. oesterreich.gv.at publishes a sample demand letter.

  5. 5.Signatures

    1. 5.1

      Yours faithfully. Signature of every tenant.

      The notice is valid only with a signature.

Formalities

  1. Write the notice and sign it.
  2. Every tenant named in the lease should sign.
  3. Send it by registered letter with return receipt (eingeschriebener Brief mit Rückschein).
  4. Or hand it over against a signed and dated receipt.
  5. The notice counts from the day it reaches the landlord, not the day you send it.

Common mistakes

  • Counting the notice from the day you post the letter. It runs from the day the landlord receives it, so post it several days before the deadline.
  • Giving notice on a fixed lease in its first year. The right to leave early starts only after one year of the term.
  • Sending the notice by plain email or text message. It has no legal effect.
  • Assuming every fixed lease can be ended early. Outside the MRG, for example for a house with one or two units, a fixed lease usually runs to its end.
  • Posting the keys at the end. Hand them over in person and sign a handover report, or the landlord can charge a use fee.
  • Forgetting to give your bank details and new address. The landlord needs them to return the deposit.

Legal basis

Sources

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