Part of our free landlord tools for Nigeria. Prepare a draft with the free quit notice template, then have a lawyer review it before service.
Laws differ by state; check your state's tenancy law and speak to a lawyer before you serve a notice. The periods below are usual starting points, not a decision about your tenancy. This page and the tool do not calculate or certify a legally valid expiry date. A date entered in the tool is the date you are asking for.
A notice to quit is the written notice that ends a periodic tenancy in Nigeria. It must give the right length of notice for the type of tenancy, name the parties and the premises, and state the date the tenant must leave. A notice that gets any of this wrong can be thrown out by the court, and the landlord has to start again. This guide covers the notice itself. For the full court process that follows it, see how to evict a tenant in Nigeria. It is a general explanation, not legal advice.
Which law applies
Recovery of premises is a state matter, so the rules depend on where the property is. Lagos has the Lagos State Tenancy Law 2011, which sets its own notice periods and prescribed forms. The Recovery of Premises Act applies in the Federal Capital Territory, and many other states have recovery of premises or rent control laws of their own, often modelled on it. Some Lagos areas are excluded from the Tenancy Law, so check that it covers the property before relying on it.
Read the Tenancy Law 2011 from the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, especially sections thirteen, sixteen and eighteen. For the FCT, an official FCT High Court judgment quotes section eight of the Recovery of Premises Act. These sources help explain the usual rules; a lawyer should check the law and any changes that apply to your property.
Notice periods by type of tenancy
If the tenancy agreement sets a notice period, that is the starting point. Where it does not, the law fills the gap. These are the usual periods:
| Type of tenancy | Usual notice (Recovery of Premises Act and similar laws) | Usual starting point under Lagos State Tenancy Law 2011 |
|---|---|---|
| Tenancy at will | Usually one week | Usually one week |
| Weekly | Usually one week | Not separately listed in section thirteen; speak to a lawyer |
| Monthly | Usually one month | Usually one month |
| Quarterly | Usually one quarter | Usually three months |
| Half-yearly | Not separately listed in section eight of the Act; speak to a lawyer | Usually three months |
| Yearly | Usually half a year | Usually six months |
| Fixed term | Usually ends when the fixed term expires; speak to a lawyer about holding over, renewal and the separate recovery notice | |
A rent payment alone does not settle the type of tenancy. Read the agreement, the period for which rent is reserved or demanded, renewal correspondence and the history of occupation together. Paying several periods in advance does not necessarily create a fixed-term tenancy for that whole time. Speak to a lawyer if the documents and payment pattern point in different directions.
Do not treat a usual notice period as an instruction to add that many days to today. Clear calendar periods, the end of the tenancy, the date of service and any prescribed form can all matter. Lagos has particular wording for quarterly, half-yearly and yearly notices about ending on or after the tenancy expires. Rules elsewhere may differ. A lawyer should choose and check the date rather than relying on a website calculator.
What a valid notice to quit contains
- The landlord's name, or the agent or lawyer giving notice on the landlord's behalf, with their authority stated.
- The tenant's name, spelt as on the tenancy agreement.
- The premises, described clearly enough to identify the flat or room, not just the building.
- The type of tenancy and the notice being given.
- The date you are asking the tenant to give up possession, checked by a lawyer against the agreement, law and service arrangements.
- The date of the notice and a signature.
- The prescribed form, where the state law sets one, as the Lagos Tenancy Law does.
The information and grounds required depend on the law, the form and the route being used. If the landlord is relying on a breach, such as unpaid rent, a different procedure may apply. Do not remove a required ground or reuse a form from another state without a lawyer's advice.
Fill in a draft, then get legal advice
Turn missing details into a document you can review
- The problem
- Copying an old notice can leave the wrong tenant, premises or tenancy type in the document.
- On Cabans
- Cabans' free quit notice template lets you enter the parties, premises, tenancy type, service date and the date you are asking for, with a preview, print and copy actions.
- The result
- You can take a clearly labelled draft to a lawyer. The tool does not decide the correct notice period, certify service or make the notice legally valid.
Complete every field from the actual tenancy records. Describe the precise unit, including a flat or room identifier where needed. If an agent is acting, check their authority and the capacity in which they sign. Do not insert a guessed name because you only know a tenant by a nickname. A company tenant and an individual tenant also need different attention to naming and service.
Print or save the draft as a PDF for review, or copy the text into the document your lawyer uses. The tool works in your browser and sends none of the entered details to Cabans. Protect the copy you save or share: it may contain home addresses. Printing a draft does not prove that a notice has been served.
How to serve it
Service is where many notices fail. The usual methods are handing the notice to the tenant in person, leaving it with an adult at the premises, or, where the law allows, posting it on a conspicuous part of the premises. Keep proof: a copy signed for by the tenant, a witness, or an affidavit of service from whoever served it. The court may need evidence of both the method and the date. Speak to a lawyer about the permitted method for this tenant and this property; do not assume a WhatsApp message or a notice left with someone nearby is enough.
Keep the version actually served, rather than a later edit, with the service record. Write down who served it, where, when and how, and keep any delivery evidence. If service is refused or the tenant cannot be found, ask a lawyer for the appropriate next step. Backdating a notice or recording an unsuccessful attempt as completed service can make the evidence unreliable.
After the notice expires
- If the tenant leaves by the date, the tenancy ends. Return any refundable deposit as the agreement says.
- If the tenant stays, the landlord serves a notice of owner's intention to apply to recover possession, usually seven days, where the applicable law requires it. Speak to a lawyer about the correct form, timing and service.
- The landlord then applies to the magistrate court or high court for an order for possession.
- Only court officials can carry out the order. A landlord who removes a tenant by force commits an offence.
This usual seven-day step is separate from the notice to quit. It is not a replacement for the usual notice needed to end a periodic tenancy and it is not an eviction order. Lagos distinguishes the form for a tenancy ended by notice from the form used after a fixed term expires. The FCT Act also provides a separate intention notice after the tenancy has ended. An official FCT High Court judgment explains section seven and the separate notice. Speak to a lawyer before serving it or starting proceedings.
If the tenant agrees to leave, record the handover, keys, condition of the property and any unresolved payments or deposit questions. If they remain, do not change locks, remove belongings, disconnect services or threaten them. The notice process does not give a landlord permission to recover possession personally. Our guide to the court recovery process explains the wider sequence.
If you are the tenant
- Check the period against your tenancy type and agreement, and check the date it ends on.
- Keep paying rent while you are in occupation, and keep the receipts. Our rent receipt guide shows what a receipt should contain.
- If you plan to leave, give the landlord the same notice in writing that the agreement or the law requires of you.
- If the landlord threatens self-help eviction, read our guide to tenant rights in Nigeria and speak to a lawyer.
Before either side acts: a review checklist
- Identify the property's state and whether the particular law covers these premises.
- Find the agreement, renewal letters, rent receipts and any earlier notices.
- Ask a lawyer whether the tenancy is periodic, fixed term or another form of occupation.
- Have the lawyer check the usual period, any agreed term, the requested date and the prescribed form.
- Arrange a permitted method of service and preserve evidence of what was actually delivered.
- Keep the separate owner's intention notice and any court step distinct from the notice to quit.
Tenants should seek advice promptly if the dates, name or premises are wrong, rather than assuming the document can be ignored. Landlords should also ask before accepting a new payment or agreeing fresh terms during a recovery process, because the legal effect can depend on the facts. Keep communications calm and in writing. A negotiated departure or renewal needs a clear record just as much as a disputed one.
Plan the next vacancy separately
Prepare for enquiries when the property can be offered
- The problem
- Once a lawful handover is arranged, an incomplete advertisement can delay the next letting.
- On Cabans
- A free Cabans rental listing puts the property details and photographs in front of people searching, with enquiries going to the seller.
- The result
- You can prepare accurate availability and answer prospective tenants yourself. Cabans does not serve notices or arrange the recovery of possession.
Read how to advertise rental property and find tenants before publishing availability. You can also compare rental listings for the details applicants expect to see. Set out the next tenancy in the tenancy agreement tool and guide, with a lawyer's review.
Frequently asked questions
What is a notice to quit?
A notice to quit is a written notice from a landlord to a tenant, or from a tenant to a landlord, that brings a periodic tenancy to an end on a stated date. It is the first formal step before a landlord can ask a court to recover the premises.
How long is a notice to quit for a yearly tenant?
Where the tenancy agreement does not set a notice period, the usual starting point for a yearly tenancy is six months. The applicable state law, the agreement and the facts can change the position. Speak to a lawyer about the period, expiry date and service before giving notice.
Does a fixed-term tenancy need a notice to quit?
The usual position is that a fixed-term tenancy ends when the agreed term runs out, so a notice to quit is not normally needed to end that term. Holding over, renewal and the agreement can complicate this. A separate notice of owner's intention to recover possession may still be required before court proceedings. Speak to a lawyer.
Can a landlord evict me once the notice to quit expires?
No, not by themselves. When a notice to quit expires and the tenant stays, the landlord must serve a further notice of intention to recover possession and then apply to court. Only a court order, carried out by court officials, can remove a tenant. Changing locks, removing the roof or throwing out belongings is unlawful self-help.
Does the notice to quit have to end on the anniversary of the tenancy?
Under the older rules that still apply in many states, a notice to quit a periodic tenancy had to end at the end of a period of the tenancy, and a notice that ended on the wrong day could be invalid. Some state laws have relaxed this. Because a defective notice can restart the whole process, have a lawyer check the date before serving.
Related guides
Return to the free landlord tools hub for the rent receipt generator and the tenancy agreement template. If the property is ready for its next tenancy, list it free on Cabans.
How to evict a tenant · Tenancy agreement template · Tenant rights in Nigeria · Landlord guide
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