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Lease termination letter template for Malta

Notice of withdrawal from a private residential lease

The tenant's registered letter that ends a long private residential lease. The tenant can leave after a minimum stay of 6, 9 or 12 months, with 1, 2 or 3 months' notice according to the lease term. The letter must go by registered post to the landlord's correct address.

Use it when you rent your primary residence under a long lease and want to leave, either before the end of the term once the minimum stay has passed, or at the end date when the landlord has not given notice and the lease would otherwise renew. You need no reason. The landlord's own notice follows different rules: only at the end of the term, at least 3 months ahead, by registered letter.

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

Key facts

Applies to
Malta and Gozo. Long leases under Cap. 604.
Minimum stay, lease under 2 years
6 months, then 1 month's notice (Cap. 604, art. 11(1)(a) and 11(2)(a)).
Minimum stay, lease 2 to under 3 years
9 months, then 2 months' notice (art. 11(1)(b) and 11(2)(b)).
Minimum stay, lease 3 years or more
12 months, then 3 months' notice (art. 11(1)(c) and 11(2)(c)).
After a tacit renewal
3 months' minimum stay from the start of the renewal, then 1 month's notice (art. 11(6)).
After an express renewal
Half the minimum stay that applies to the renewal term, then the notice under art. 11(2) (art. 11(7)).
Leaving at the end date
If the landlord gave no notice, the tenant gives at least 1 month's notice by registered letter (art. 9(4)).
Leaving before the minimum stay
The landlord may keep up to 1 month's rent from the deposit, and may claim other sums due (art. 11(1), proviso).
Short lease (up to 6 months)
1 month's minimum stay, then 1 week's notice by registered letter (art. 12).
Landlord's notice
At least 3 months before the end of the term, by registered letter. Otherwise the lease renews for 1 year (art. 9(1) and 9(2)).

The document

Notice of withdrawal from a private residential lease

  1. 1.Sender and addressee

    1. 1.1

      From: Lessee or lessees giving notice, lessee of Address of the let property. To: Lessor's name, Lessor's address. By registered letter. Place of sending, Date of posting the registered letter.

      Give each lessee's full name and ID card or passport number. Keep the registered post receipt with a copy of the letter.

    2. 1.2

      Re: Private residential lease of Address of the let property dated Date of the lease agreement, for a term of Term stated in the lease. Notice of withdrawal.

      For a renewed lease, write the term of the renewal.

  2. 2.Notice

    1. 2.1

      Optional

      Dear Lessor's name, I hereby give you notice, in terms of article 11 of the Private Residential Leases Act (Cap. 604), that I am withdrawing from the above lease.

      Use this clause to leave during the term, after the minimum stay. Keep one of the two notice clauses.

    2. 2.2

      Optional

      Dear Lessor's name, since no notice of termination has been served on me, I hereby give you notice, in terms of article 9(4) of the Private Residential Leases Act (Cap. 604), that I am terminating the above lease on the expiry date stipulated in the agreement.

      Use this clause to leave on the end date when the landlord sent no notice. Send it at least 1 month before that date. Keep one of the two notice clauses.

  3. 3.End of the lease

    1. 3.1

      The applicable notice period is Notice period that applies. The lease shall therefore end on Date the lease ends, on which date I shall vacate the premises and return all keys.

      Rent remains due until this date. It falls at least the notice period after posting, and not before the minimum stay ends.

  4. 4.Inspection and meter readings

    1. 4.1

      I request that we inspect the premises together against the inventory annexed to the lease, and record the final water and electricity readings, on or before Date the lease ends.

  5. 5.Deposit

    1. 5.1

      I request the return of the deposit of Deposit paid euro, less only any amount due under the law or the lease and shown in a written statement, to the following account: Account for the return of the deposit.

      If the landlord keeps the deposit without reason, you can claim it before the Adjudicating Panel for a registered lease, up to EUR 5,000.

    2. 5.2

      My address for correspondence after that date is: Lessee's new address for correspondence.

  6. 6.Signature

    1. 6.1

      Yours faithfully. Signature of the lessee.

      Each lessee who leaves signs the letter.

Formalities

  1. Send the notice by registered letter to the landlord's address in the lease. Count the notice period from the date you post it.
  2. Keep the post office receipt. Proof that you sent the letter in time and to the correct address is enough (Cap. 604, art. 11(5)).
  3. Email, WhatsApp and a letter by hand do not meet the Act. Without proper notice the lease is deemed not terminated.
  4. Each lessee who leaves should sign.
  5. If one co-tenant leaves and the others stay, use the Housing Authority substitution or removal agreement instead.
  6. That agreement needs the consent of the landlord and the other lessees.
  7. These rules apply since 1 September 2024. Act XX of 2024, art. 25 says leases that started earlier stay regulated by the Private Residential Leases Act.
  8. It does not say clearly which version of the Act applies, so check an older lease with the Housing Authority or a lawyer.

Common mistakes

  • Sending the notice by email or message. The Act requires a registered letter, and without it the lease is deemed to continue.
  • Sending the letter to the wrong address. Use the landlord's address in the lease, or the address the landlord gave you later in writing.
  • Giving notice that ends before the minimum stay. The landlord can keep up to 1 month's rent from the deposit.
  • Counting from the wrong lease term. The notice period depends on the term stated in the lease, not on how long you have lived there.
  • Leaving at the end date without notice when the landlord gave none. The lease renews for 1 year. You can leave only after 3 months of it, with 1 month's notice.
  • Forgetting your forwarding address and the final meter readings. The landlord needs both to settle the deposit and the utility bills.

Legal basis

Sources

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