To end a tenancy agreement, you should serve notice to the landlord directly in writing. Your contract is between you and your landlord, so there is no need to notify OpenRent.
When to Serve Notice
Most tenancies in England are Assured Periodic Tenancies (APTs), where tenants have the right to end the tenancy at any time by correctly serving their landlord with at least 2 month's notice.
Our APT for tenancies in England allows a tenant to give no less than two months' notice, for the tenancy to end on a rent payment day or the day before a rent payment day. Other tenancy agreements may not refer to a rent payment day.
For example, if rent is due on the 1st of the month, and the tenant serves notice on 15th August, their notice will end on 31st October or 1st November.
However, if all parties are in agreement, the tenancy can end at any point in the rental period, with the rental amount pro-rated.
If you signed an AST in England prior to 1st May 2026, any references to the fixed term and/or break clauses are no longer enforceable. This will have been explained to tenants in the Information Sheet served as part of the Renters' Rights Act, which outlines the changes to how a tenancy can end.
If you want to leave before the notice period in the contract would allow, then you need to talk to the landlord directly. Agreements can be terminated if everyone agrees, but the landlord would not normally be obliged to end the agreement early.
How to Serve Notice
We recommend that, where possible, you give notice on the last day of your rental period (the day before your next rent payment is due). This ensures there are no gaps in any rent owed after your last payment.
The safest way to give notice is in person with a means of proving receipt; e.g. asking the landlord to confirm in writing that they received your notice.
If that's not possible, the next best thing is to send your notice by recorded delivery. This gives you proof that you sent the notice but not necessarily that the landlord received it.
If neither of these options are available, you can give notice by email, providing that your contract states this is acceptable. However, giving notice by email can make it difficult to prove that the landlord received your notice if there is a dispute.
When is notice considered to be 'served'?
It does not have to be proved that the recipient has received the notice, but the notice isn’t served until it has arrived (e.g. 2 days after sending for first class post).
Information on this site is by way of general guidance only and may not apply in your particular circumstances. You should not act or refrain from acting upon information on this site without seeking independent legal advice.