Direct answer
A quit notice is the document that ends a tenancy. It is not an eviction, it does not by itself give you possession, and it is not something you send in anger on a Sunday evening. It is a formal step with a required period, required contents, and a required method of service, and getting any of the three wrong sends you back to the beginning. In a yearly tenancy, back to the beginning can cost you another six months.
Work out your notice period before you write anything
The period depends on the type of tenancy, not on how annoyed you are or how far behind the rent is. Under the Tenancy Law of Lagos State 2011 the defaults are set out below, and other states have their own equivalents that broadly follow the same logic.
The condition attached to this table is the one people miss: these apply where the tenancy agreement does not stipulate a notice period. Where the parties agreed one in writing, that generally governs. So the first thing to do is read the agreement, not the statute.
| Tenancy type | Notice | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Tenant at will | 1 week | Assuming they are a monthly tenant |
| Monthly | 1 month | Serving mid-month and counting from the wrong date |
| Quarterly | 3 months | Treating it as monthly because rent arrives monthly |
| Half-yearly | 3 months | Assuming it must be six because the term is six |
| Yearly | 6 months | Serving four months out and having to restart |
What the notice has to contain
A quit notice is short. Its job is to be unambiguous about who is being asked to leave, which property, and by when. Ambiguity on any of those three is what makes a notice defective.
Be particularly careful with the date. The notice must give the full period required, and the expiry date should be stated plainly rather than left for the reader to calculate. A notice that expires a day short of the required period is a defective notice, and you will not find out until it is expensive.
- The full name of the tenant, spelled as it appears on the tenancy agreement
- The address of the premises, described clearly enough to be unmistakable
- A clear statement that the landlord requires possession
- The date the tenant is required to give up possession
- The date of the notice itself
- The name and signature of the landlord or the agent, stating in what capacity they sign
Wording you can adapt
This is the shape of a straightforward notice. Treat it as a starting point to take to your lawyer rather than a form to fire off, particularly if there is any complication about the tenancy type, the parties, or the state the property sits in.
TO: [Tenant's full name]. TAKE NOTICE that I, [Landlord's full name], being the landlord of the premises known as [full address of the premises], hereby give you notice to quit and deliver up possession of the said premises, which you now hold of me as a [yearly / monthly / quarterly] tenant, on or before the [date], being the date of expiration of your current term. Dated this [day] day of [month], [year]. Signed: [Landlord or Agent, stating capacity].
If an agent signs, the notice should make the agency clear. A notice signed by someone whose authority is not apparent on its face is an easy target.
Serving it, and being able to prove you did
A notice that was never properly served is worth nothing, and the burden of showing it was served sits with the person who sent it. Do not rely on having handed it over in person with nobody else present.
Personal service with an acknowledgement signed by the tenant is the cleanest. Where that is not possible, the usual alternatives are service on an adult occupant at the premises, or affixing the notice to a conspicuous part of the property, ideally with a witness and a dated photograph. Keep everything: the acknowledgement, the courier receipt, the photograph, the witness's details.
Where the tenancy agreement specifies a method of service or an address for service, follow it. A landlord who serves by a method the agreement did not contemplate has handed the other side a preliminary argument for free.
- Personal service with a signed acknowledgement is best
- Failing that, serve on an adult occupant, or affix it conspicuously with a witness
- Photograph the notice in place, dated
- Follow any method or address for service set out in the agreement
- Keep the proof of service with the tenancy record, not in your inbox
The second notice, and what comes after
When the quit notice expires and the tenant has not gone, the tenancy is over but you still do not have possession. The next step is a written notice of the landlord's intention to recover possession, giving not less than seven days and setting out the grounds and particulars of the claim. Only then does a court action follow.
Between those two points, the occupier is holding over, and what accrues is mesne profits rather than rent. Be careful how you describe and receipt any money that arrives in that window, which we cover in detail in a separate piece.
What you cannot do at any stage is take possession yourself. No locks, no roofing sheets, no cutting the power, no sending anyone round. Self-help is unlawful, and in practice it converts a landlord with a good case into a landlord with a problem.
The mistakes that void a notice
Almost every defective notice we hear about fails for one of a small number of reasons, and all of them are avoidable with an hour of care before serving.
- Wrong notice period for the tenancy type
- Expiry date miscounted, or left for the reader to work out
- Tenant's name wrong or different from the tenancy agreement
- Premises described too loosely to be certain which property is meant
- Signed by an agent without their capacity being apparent
- Served in a way that cannot afterwards be proved
- Sent by WhatsApp alone, with no acknowledgement and no follow-up
Generate the notice from the tenancy record
Most of what makes a notice defective is a data problem rather than a drafting problem. The name is wrong because somebody typed it from memory. The date is wrong because somebody counted months on a phone calendar. The tenancy type is wrong because the agreement is in a folder and the person writing the notice did not open it.
Ledge generates tenancy notices from the tenancy record, so the parties, the property, the tenancy type and the dates come from the same place the tenancy itself lives. It applies the notice period for the tenancy type rather than leaving it to arithmetic, and it keeps the full lifecycle of what was drafted, issued and served against the tenancy.
It produces a formal letter as a PDF, and it keeps the record of service alongside the rent ledger, so if the matter does go further, the notice and the arrears schedule are consistent with each other because they come from the same data.
This is not legal advice and it is not a substitute for your lawyer. It is the step before your lawyer, done properly.
- Parties, property, and tenancy type pulled from the tenancy record
- Notice period applied by tenancy type, not counted by hand
- A formal business letter produced as a PDF
- Draft, issued, served, and closed tracked as a lifecycle
- The notice record and the rent ledger sitting on the same tenancy
Frequently asked questions
How do I write a quit notice to a tenant in Nigeria?
State the tenant's full name as it appears on the agreement, the address of the premises, that you require possession, the date possession must be given up, the date of the notice, and the signature of the landlord or agent with their capacity. Give the full notice period for the tenancy type and state the expiry date plainly rather than leaving it to be calculated.
How much notice must I give a tenant in Lagos?
Under the 2011 Law, one week for a tenant at will, one month for a monthly tenant, three months for quarterly and half-yearly tenants, and six months for a yearly tenant, where the tenancy agreement does not stipulate a period. Where the agreement specifies one, that generally governs.
Can I serve a quit notice by WhatsApp or email?
We would not rely on it alone. The burden of proving service falls on the sender, and a message with no acknowledgement is weak proof. Use personal service with a signed acknowledgement where you can, follow any method set out in the tenancy agreement, and keep the evidence.
What happens after the quit notice expires?
If the tenant has not left, serve a written notice of intention to recover possession giving not less than seven days and stating the grounds and particulars, then proceed to court. You may not take possession yourself by changing locks, removing roofing, or disconnecting utilities.
Can I serve a quit notice because the tenant has not paid rent?
Arrears are a ground for wanting possession, but they do not shorten the notice period for the tenancy type unless the agreement provides for it. Serve the correct notice for the tenancy and pursue the arrears as a separate claim. Talk to your lawyer before treating a breach as ending the tenancy early.
Next step
Generate a quit notice from the tenancy record
Ledge fills the parties, property, tenancy type and dates from the tenancy itself, applies the right notice period, and keeps the served record next to the rent ledger.