HUD 30-Day Notice to Vacate Form: Required Content and Delivery

There is no numbered HUD form for a 30-day notice to vacate. Federal regulations require the landlord or Public Housing Agency to draft their own written termination notice that meets the content and delivery rules in 24 CFR 247.4 (subsidized and project-based rental assistance properties) or 24 CFR 966.4 (conventional public housing).¹² Getting the details wrong can block an eviction filing in court, so the specifics of what the notice must say and how it has to be delivered matter to both sides.

Which Housing This Notice Applies To

The 30-day framework covers two categories of HUD-assisted housing. The first is conventional public housing owned and managed by a PHA under 24 CFR Part 966. The second is subsidized and HUD-owned projects receiving project-based rental assistance under 24 CFR Part 247. In both, a landlord seeking to evict for nonpayment of rent must deliver a written termination notice at least 30 days before filing in court.²¹

Housing Choice Voucher (tenant-based Section 8) tenants are outside this framework. Under 24 CFR 982.310, the owner must give written notice stating the grounds for termination, but the regulation does not set a federal 30-day minimum. The notice period follows state or local law instead.³

Grounds That Support a Termination Notice

A landlord cannot terminate a lease at will. Federal regulations require good cause, and the permissible reasons come from the lease and the applicable CFR section. Common grounds include:

Nonpayment of rent as defined in the lease.
Serious or repeated lease violations, such as unauthorized occupants, property damage, or failure to meet household obligations.
Failure to provide income recertification information or other required program documentation.
Drug-related criminal activity or violent criminal activity by any household member. Drug-related criminal activity means the illegal manufacture, sale, distribution, or use of a controlled substance as defined in the Controlled Substances Act.⁴

For nonpayment of rent, the notice period is at least 30 days. For most other grounds the default is also 30 days, though a PHA may shorten the notice period where the health or safety of other residents, staff, or neighbors is threatened. Criminal activity and felony convictions can support a shorter reasonable notice period, but the maximum is still 30 days.²

A nonpayment notice cannot go out before the day after rent is due. If rent is due on the first, the earliest possible notice date is the second.⁵

What the Notice Must Include

The written notice must give the tenant enough information to understand the charge and prepare a response. At minimum, every termination notice needs the following.

A specific termination date. The tenancy-ending date must be at least 30 days after the tenant receives the notice for nonpayment and most other grounds.¹

The specific grounds for termination. A vague statement is not enough. For nonpayment, that means stating the dollar amount owed and the date the balance was calculated. For other grounds, the notice must describe the conduct in enough detail that the tenant can prepare a defense.¹

A statement of the tenant’s right to reply to the allegations.

Information about the judicial process. In subsidized projects, the notice must tell the tenant that if they remain past the termination date, the landlord can only enforce the termination through a court action where the tenant may present a defense.¹

In public housing, the notice must also inform the tenant of the right to request a grievance hearing and the right to examine any PHA documents relevant to the termination.² Where the PHA is not required to offer a grievance hearing (certain criminal activity cases, for example), the notice must instead identify the judicial eviction procedure the PHA will use.⁶

If the tenant is visually impaired, the notice must be provided in an accessible format such as Braille or audio.⁷ For tenants with limited English proficiency, HUD directs PHAs to translate eviction notices and provide qualified interpreters under a Language Access Plan.⁸

A Note on the December 2024 Rule

In December 2024, HUD published a final rule that added detailed requirements for nonpayment notices, including itemized rent breakdowns by month, separate itemization of other charges, cure instructions, and a prohibition on filing eviction if the tenant paid the full rent owed within the 30-day window.⁹ In early 2026, HUD initiated proceedings to revoke that rule, and its effective date has been delayed. Check the current text of 24 CFR 247.4 and 966.4 on ecfr.gov before drafting or responding to a notice.

How the Notice Must Be Delivered

A correctly written notice fails if it is served incorrectly. The delivery method also determines when the 30-day clock starts.

Subsidized and Project-Based Properties

Under Part 247, service requires two steps, and both must be completed. The landlord sends a copy by first-class mail, properly stamped and addressed to the tenant at the project address, with a return address. The landlord also serves a copy on any adult who answers the door at the unit; if no one answers, the notice goes under or through the door, or is affixed to the door if that is not possible.

The tenant is treated as having received the notice on whichever date comes later: the mailing date or the date of in-person delivery or posting. The 30-day period runs from that later date.⁵

Public Housing

Under Part 966, the notice must be delivered to the tenant or an adult household member at the dwelling, or sent by prepaid first-class mail properly addressed. The regulation does not explicitly require both methods at once.⁷

Email and Portal Delivery

Neither Part 247 nor Part 966 authorizes delivery by email or a tenant portal. The regulations specify physical mail and in-person service. A landlord relying only on electronic notification risks having the notice deemed invalid.

Whichever program applies, keep proof of delivery: a certified mail receipt, a signed acknowledgment, or a written statement from whoever posted the notice. Without documentation, the landlord may not be able to prove proper service in court.

What the Tenant Can Do Inside the 30 Days

The notice period is not just a countdown. It is also a window to fix the problem or contest the charge.

Cure the nonpayment. In both public housing and subsidized projects, the landlord cannot file an eviction if the tenant pays the rent owed before the notice period expires. Under the December 2024 final rule, paying the full rent balance cured the nonpayment even if late fees or other charges remained unpaid, and eviction for nonpayment could not proceed.⁹ Because that rule is subject to revocation proceedings, confirm the current regulatory text before relying on this distinction. Partial payment that does not cover the full rent balance generally does not cure the violation, though it may be relevant later as evidence of good faith.

Request a grievance hearing (public housing only). A public housing tenant can present the grievance to the PHA orally or in writing, which triggers an informal settlement conference. If that does not resolve things, the tenant can request a formal hearing.¹⁰ The tenancy does not terminate, even after the notice period runs, until the time to request a hearing has passed; if the tenant requests one, the tenancy continues through the full grievance process.² HUD does not fix the request deadline; many PHAs use roughly 10 working days, but the actual window comes from the PHA’s own grievance procedure.

Examine relevant PHA documents. Before a grievance hearing or court trial, a public housing tenant can request and review any PHA documents, records, or regulations directly relevant to the termination, and copy them at the tenant’s expense. If the PHA does not make the documents available, it cannot proceed with the eviction.⁷ Requesting documents in writing right after receiving the notice puts the PHA on record.

State and Local Law on Top of the Federal Rules

Federal regulations set the floor. Where state or local law gives tenants more time or additional protections, those laws apply on top of the federal requirements. For grounds other than nonpayment, the federal rule is 30 days, though a shorter state notice period would still be followed in its own right. For nonpayment in public housing, the 30-day minimum under 24 CFR 966.4(l)(3)(i)(A) applies regardless of state law.²

In subsidized projects under Part 247, terminations based on material noncompliance with the rental agreement follow both the rental agreement and state law rather than a fixed federal minimum.⁵ The HUD 30-day notice and any state or local notice may need to run consecutively rather than at the same time, so the practical wait before filing in court can exceed 30 days.

1
eCFR. 24 CFR 247.4 – Termination Notice
2
eCFR. 24 CFR 966.4 – Lease Requirements
3
eCFR. 24 CFR 982.310 – Owner Termination of Tenancy
4
eCFR. 24 CFR 247.2 – Definitions
5
eCFR. 24 CFR Part 247 – Evictions from Certain Subsidized and HUD-Owned Projects
6
eCFR. 24 CFR Part 966 – Public Housing Lease and Grievance Procedure
7
eCFR. 24 CFR 966.4 – Lease Requirements
8
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Guidance on Eligible Uses for PIH Program Funds Related to Persons with Limited English Proficiency
9
Federal Register. 30-Day Notification Requirement Prior to Termination of Lease for Nonpayment of Rent
10
eCFR. 24 CFR 966.54 – Informal Settlement of Grievance