Louisiana Lease Termination Letter (Ending a Lease Early)

A free Louisiana lease termination letter (ending a lease early) that follows Louisiana law. Fill in the boxes, check the rules below, then print or copy it. Keep a copy and proof of how you sent it.

What Louisiana law says

Ending a lease: military, medical, death	Military: an active or reserve member of the U.S. armed forces (including the National Guard and Coast Guard), or the member's spouse, may end a residential lease after permanent or initial change-of-station orders, or temporary duty orders of more than three months, to a place 35 miles or more away; discharge, release, or retirement; orders to live in government quarters; newly available government quarters (if the member told the landlord in writing at signing of a pending request); a service-related injury requiring more than 15 days in the hospital; or death in service. The tenant gives written notice effective at least 30 days later (and, for orders, no more than 60 days before departure) with a copy of the orders or other proof. The tenant owes no more than one month's rent as the early-termination charge if fewer than six months of the lease were completed, or half a month's rent if six months or more, and gets the full deposit back if the lease was otherwise followed. These rights cannot be waived, and a tenant who proves a violation may recover $200 plus other damages. Death: under the Civil Code, a lease does not end because the tenant dies, so there is no automatic right to end it early on a tenant's death. No Louisiana statute gives early-termination rights for medical reasons or age. Source: La. R.S. 9:3261; La. C.C. art. 2717
Ending a lease: domestic violence	Domestic abuse, stalking, cyberstalking (R.S. 9:3261.1; applies only to buildings with 6+ units, excluding owner-occupied buildings of 10 or fewer units): the tenant must assert in writing that they or a household member are a domestic abuse victim and request early termination; provide 'reasonable documentation' (a Uniform Abuse Prevention Order, or the statutory Certification of Domestic Abuse signed under oath by a qualified third party) of abuse on the premises within the past 30 days (for stalking/cyberstalking off-premises, a written declaration of why staying is a safety threat); commit in writing not to let the abuser access the unit; and, if asked, give the abuser's name and address. The landlord must then terminate the lease on a mutually agreed date within 30 days of the request; the tenant owes rent only through that date plus prior obligations, and the deposit may be withheld only as R.S. 9:3251 allows. Sexual assault (R.S. 9:3261.2, all leases): same process with documentation of a sexual assault in Louisiana within the past 60 days occurring after the lease was signed, using the statutory Certification of Sexual Assault or a protective order. Source: La. R.S. 9:3261.1(E)-(F) (as amended by Acts 2026, No. 64 to add stalking/cyberstalking); La. R.S. 9:3261.2(B)-(D)

Ending a lease: military, medical, death

Military: an active or reserve member of the U.S. armed forces (including the National Guard and Coast Guard), or the member's spouse, may end a residential lease after permanent or initial change-of-station orders, or temporary duty orders of more than three months, to a place 35 miles or more away; discharge, release, or retirement; orders to live in government quarters; newly available government quarters (if the member told the landlord in writing at signing of a pending request); a service-related injury requiring more than 15 days in the hospital; or death in service. The tenant gives written notice effective at least 30 days later (and, for orders, no more than 60 days before departure) with a copy of the orders or other proof. The tenant owes no more than one month's rent as the early-termination charge if fewer than six months of the lease were completed, or half a month's rent if six months or more, and gets the full deposit back if the lease was otherwise followed. These rights cannot be waived, and a tenant who proves a violation may recover $200 plus other damages. Death: under the Civil Code, a lease does not end because the tenant dies, so there is no automatic right to end it early on a tenant's death. No Louisiana statute gives early-termination rights for medical reasons or age.

Source: La. R.S. 9:3261; La. C.C. art. 2717

Ending a lease: domestic violence

Domestic abuse, stalking, cyberstalking (R.S. 9:3261.1; applies only to buildings with 6+ units, excluding owner-occupied buildings of 10 or fewer units): the tenant must assert in writing that they or a household member are a domestic abuse victim and request early termination; provide 'reasonable documentation' (a Uniform Abuse Prevention Order, or the statutory Certification of Domestic Abuse signed under oath by a qualified third party) of abuse on the premises within the past 30 days (for stalking/cyberstalking off-premises, a written declaration of why staying is a safety threat); commit in writing not to let the abuser access the unit; and, if asked, give the abuser's name and address. The landlord must then terminate the lease on a mutually agreed date within 30 days of the request; the tenant owes rent only through that date plus prior obligations, and the deposit may be withheld only as R.S. 9:3251 allows. Sexual assault (R.S. 9:3261.2, all leases): same process with documentation of a sexual assault in Louisiana within the past 60 days occurring after the lease was signed, using the statutory Certification of Sexual Assault or a protective order.

Source: La. R.S. 9:3261.1(E)-(F) (as amended by Acts 2026, No. 64 to add stalking/cyberstalking); La. R.S. 9:3261.2(B)-(D)

Fill in your letter

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To: [landlord or manager name], [landlord address]

From: [your name], tenant at [rental address]

I am ending my lease early under La. R.S. 9:3261; La. C.C. art. 2717 for this reason: [the reason the law allows, e.g. active military orders].

I have attached [the documents the law requires, e.g. a copy of the orders].

My termination date is [termination date], and I will return the keys by [key return date].

Please return my security deposit, less only lawful deductions, to [forwarding address].

Date: [today's date]
Tenant: [your name]
Signature: ____________________

How to send it: use a method you can prove — certified mail with return receipt, or email/text if your lease allows notices that way. Write down the date.

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General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.