Free Wisconsin Tenant Notice to Vacate
The 28 days written notice Wisconsin tenants use to properly end a periodic tenancy under Wis. Stat. § 704.19. Fillable PDF, move-out date calculator, and security deposit guidance under Wis. Stat. § 704.28 — built for tenants giving notice, not landlords.
The notice period runs from delivery, not from your last day in the unit. If you give notice on the 10th of the month, a month-to-month tenancy cannot end until the end of a rental period at least 28 days later, and you are on the hook for rent through that date even if you move out earlier. Moving out early without paying through the period can lead to a small claims action or a security deposit deduction. Pay rent through the full notice period, document delivery, and surrender keys on or before the last day; the 21-day security deposit clock runs from the date the rental agreement terminates under Wis. Stat. § 704.28.
WI Notice Period
28-Day
Day Type
Calendar
Statute
§ 704.19
SD Return
21 Days
On this page
- What this form does and when to use it
- Wisconsin statute and legal authority
- Step-by-step: writing your notice to vacate
- Fillable form & PDF download
- Required information that makes the notice valid
- How to deliver the notice to your landlord
- Move-out timeline and key dates
- What happens after the notice period ends
- Security deposit return under § 704.28
- Common mistakes that cost tenants money
- Tenant rights during the notice period
- Frequently asked questions
- Wisconsin statute reference table
A Wisconsin Tenant Notice to Vacate is the written 28 days notice a tenant gives a landlord to end a periodic tenancy under Wisconsin Statutes § 704.19. It identifies the rental unit, sets the last day of tenancy, provides a forwarding address for the security deposit, and creates the documentary record that protects you if the move-out is later disputed. The form on this page handles the statutory content automatically — you fill in the blanks, the PDF generates a clean, signature-ready notice, and you deliver it to your landlord.
In Wisconsin, a tenant ends a periodic tenancy by written notice that informs the landlord of the intent to terminate and the termination date (Wis. Stat. § 704.19(4)). At least 28 days’ notice is required, but where rent is payable more often than monthly, notice equal to the rent-paying period is enough (§ 704.19(3)). A periodic tenancy can end by notice only at the end of a rental period (§ 704.19(2)(b)1). The landlord must return the deposit, less lawful withholdings, within 21 days after the rental agreement terminates if you move out on that date (Wis. Stat. § 704.28(4)).
What this form does and when to use it
The Wisconsin Tenant Notice to Vacate is a written notice from the tenant to the landlord ending a periodic (typically month-to-month) tenancy under Wisconsin Statutes § 704.19. It serves three purposes at once: it gives the landlord the statutorily required 28 days’ notice that the tenancy will end, it specifies the last day of tenancy so rent obligations stop on a defined date, and it provides the forwarding address for the deposit, which is due within 21 days after the rental agreement terminates (if you vacate on that date) under Wis. Stat. § 704.28. Without a properly written and delivered notice, a tenant who simply moves out remains exposed to claims for additional rent and may have a harder time recovering the security deposit.
Use this notice when you have a periodic tenancy — month-to-month is the most common form, but the same rule applies to week-to-week or other periodic arrangements (if rent is payable more often than monthly, notice at least equal to the rent-paying period is sufficient under § 704.19(3)). The 28 days notice for monthly tenancies applies regardless of how long you have lived in the unit. Many states impose longer notice obligations on landlords than on tenants — those longer landlord rules do not flow back to tenants. As a tenant on a month-to-month tenancy in Wisconsin, you give the 28 days period stated in Wis. Stat. § 704.19 every time.
This is not the right form for a fixed-term lease. If you have a lease with a defined end date and you intend to leave at the natural end of the term, the lease itself sets the end date — although it is good practice to send a written notice anyway to confirm your intent and trigger the security deposit clock. If you want to leave a fixed-term lease early, the 28 days notice does not apply: you need either a lease provision authorizing early termination, the landlord’s written agreement to release you, or a statutory ground (uninhabitable conditions, domestic violence early termination, or military deployment under federal SCRA at 50 U.S.C. § 3955). Sending a § 704.19 notice on a fixed-term lease without one of those grounds typically does not end your rent liability under Wisconsin law.
Tenant notice vs. landlord notice: A common point of confusion. In most states the rules are asymmetric — landlords often face longer notice obligations (sometimes scaled to length of tenancy or limited to “just cause” grounds) while tenants on a periodic tenancy give a single fixed notice period. Wisconsin requires a tenant to give 28 days’ written notice under Wis. Stat. § 704.19 regardless of how long you have lived in the unit. Any longer landlord notice rule does not flow back to you — your obligation is the 28 days stated in the statute.