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Lease termination letter template for Italy

Tenant's notice to end the leaseLettera di recesso o disdetta del conduttore

The tenant's registered letter that ends a residential lease. A tenant can leave at any time for serious reasons with 6 months' notice, or under a withdrawal clause in the lease, or at the end of the second term with 6 months' notice. The letter must state which ground applies.

Use it when you rent a home in Italy and want to leave. Choose one ground. If your lease has a clause that lets you withdraw at any time, use it and give the notice it sets. If it has none, you can leave early only for serious reasons, which you must state in the letter. At the end of the second 4-year term of a free-rent lease, or the extension of an agreed-rent lease, you can refuse renewal without reasons. The landlord's own notice follows different rules: at the first expiry only for the grounds in art. 3 of legge 431/1998.

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

Key facts

Applies to
Whole country. For leases under legge 431/1998.
Early exit for serious reasons
At any time, with 6 months' notice (legge 431/1998, art. 3, comma 6).
Meaning of serious reasons
Unforeseeable events beyond the tenant's control, arising after signature, that make staying very burdensome (case law, Studio Moscarini).
Reasons in the letter
The letter must state the serious reasons so the landlord can contest them (Cass. ord. n. 24266/2020, as reported by Studio Moscarini).
Withdrawal clause
If the lease allows it, at any time by registered letter. The law sets at least 6 months' notice (legge 392/1978, art. 4).
Shorter notice in the lease
The rental guide of the Agenzia delle Entrate says the lease can set a shorter notice of 2 or 3 months.
End of the second term
Refusal of renewal by registered letter at least 6 months before expiry (legge 431/1998, art. 2: comma 1 free rent, comma 5 agreed rent).
Early termination, tax office
Notice within 30 days and 67 euro registration tax. Under cedolare secca the notice is still due, the tax is not (Agenzia delle Entrate).
Landlord's notice at first expiry
Only for the grounds listed in art. 3, stated on pain of nullity, at least 6 months before expiry (legge 431/1998, art. 3).

The document

Text shown

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

Tenant's notice to end the lease

  1. 1.Heading

    1. 1.1

      From: Tenant's name, or each co-tenant leaving, Address of the let home. To: Landlord's name, Landlord's address for notices. Place of sending, Date of sending.

      Use the landlord's address in the lease, or the agent's address if the lease names one.

    2. 1.2

      Registered letter with return receipt. Subject: withdrawal from the lease of the property located at Address of the let home, signed on Date of the lease and registered Registration details of the lease.

      Give the registration office, date and number, or the RLI registration code.

  2. 2.Notice of withdrawal or refusal of renewal

    1. 2.1

      Optional

      I hereby give notice that I withdraw from the lease referred to above, using the right granted by article Lease article that allows withdrawal of the lease, with Notice set by the lease months' notice from receipt of this letter.

      Use this ground if your lease has a withdrawal clause. Keep only one of the three grounds.

    2. 2.2

      Optional

      I hereby give notice that I withdraw from the lease referred to above under art. 3, paragraph 6, of legge 9 December 1998, n. 431, with six months' notice from receipt of this letter, for the following serious reasons, which arose after the lease was signed, were unforeseeable and are beyond my control, and which make continuing the lease excessively burdensome: Serious reasons, described in full. Attached: Proof attached.

      Use it if the lease has no withdrawal clause. Say what happened, when, and why staying is very burdensome. A vague reason can make the notice ineffective.

    3. 2.3

      Optional

      I hereby give notice that I refuse renewal of the lease referred to above at its expiry on Expiry date of the current term, under art. 2 of legge 9 December 1998, n. 431.

      Use it only at the end of the second 4-year term, or of the 2-year extension of an agreed-rent lease. Keep only one of the three grounds.

  3. 3.Vacating and return

    1. 3.1

      I will vacate the property and return the keys on Date you will return the keys. I propose that we draw up the move-out report together and read the meters on that date.

      Rent and charges are due until the end of the notice, even if you leave earlier.

  4. 4.Deposit

    1. 4.1

      I ask for the return of the security deposit, with the accrued statutory interest, on return of the property, less only any sums proved to be owed.

  5. 5.Tax office formalities

    1. 5.1

      Optional

      I ask you to report the early termination of the lease to the Agenzia delle Entrate within thirty days of its end, to pay any registration tax due, and to send me a copy.

      Keep it when the lease ends before its term. Delete it for a refusal of renewal at expiry.

  6. 6.Contact and signature

    1. 6.1

      For any communication after I leave, my address is: Your address after you leave. Yours faithfully. Signature of the tenant.

      Each co-tenant who leaves signs. Keep a copy of the letter and the return receipt.

Formalities

  1. Send the letter by registered post with return receipt (raccomandata con avviso di ricevimento), as the law and most leases require.
  2. The notice runs from the day the landlord receives it. Send it early and keep the receipt.
  3. Every co-tenant who is leaving signs.
  4. If the lease ends before its term, the Agenzia delle Entrate registration office must be told. Either party can do it, so agree in writing who does.

Common mistakes

  • Leaving without a withdrawal clause or stated serious reasons. The notice may fail, and the landlord can claim rent until the home is relet or the term ends.
  • Citing a personal choice as a serious reason, such as buying a home or a voluntary move or job change. Courts reject reasons that depend on the tenant's will.
  • Sending the notice by plain email or text message. Use a registered letter with return receipt so the date of receipt is proven.
  • Stopping rent during the notice period, or using the deposit as the last months' rent. The deposit cannot be set against rent unless the landlord agrees.
  • Leaving without a move-out report signed by both parties. Disputes over the deposit then turn on memory instead of a document.

Legal basis

Sources

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