Do you want to stop the rental contract or does the landlord want that?
Then you must 'terminate' the rental contract. These are the legal terms:
Always put your notice in writing. This can be by mail, regular mail or even text message.
Are you sending a notice letter? Do so by e-mail and by registered mail. That way you can prove that you sent the letter and that the landlord received it. You get a proof of receipt. That way you avoid discussions.
When you terminate the rental contract, you must always respect a notice period. For example, are you terminating as a tenant? Then you must respect a standard notice period of 3 months. The notice starts on the first day of the month after the landlord has been able to receive the notice letter. The lease then ends after 3 months. During the notice period, the contract continues as usual. You must continue to pay rent and can continue to live in the property.
For example: you sent a notice letter on December 12 by registered mail. The landlord was able to receive the letter on December 14. The notice period then starts on January 1 and runs until March 31.
To determine exactly what conditions you must comply with, it is important to answer the following questions:
do you and the landlord both want to end the rental contract?
Then you stop the lease by mutual agreement. You decide together when the lease ends. You can also agree on other things. You put the mutual agreement on paper to avoid discussion. With this agreement you deviate from the law.
For example: you and the landlord agree in WhatsApp messages that the rental contract ends on January 1st. Afterwards, the landlord requests that you respect a notice period of 3 months, and that you should stay until April 1st. The landlord can no longer ask this.
