How to Fill Out and Submit the SHRA Notice to Vacate Form

The SHRA Notice to Vacate form is a one-page notice that Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency requires Housing Choice Voucher participants to serve on their landlord and submit to the agency before leaving an assisted unit, and SHRA will not process your Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA) for a new place without a copy attached.¹ The form itself is simple. The timing around it is what protects your voucher.

When to Serve the Notice

Do not serve the Notice of Intent to Vacate on your landlord until you are ready to submit an RFTA for a new unit. SHRA’s guidance is to give your landlord written notice no sooner than a day or two before the RFTA goes in.² Serving too early starts a clock that can leave you without assistance if you haven’t lined up a new unit by your move-out date.

You file the form whether the move is your choice or your landlord’s. Federal rules require you to notify both the housing authority and the owner before vacating.³ If a landlord ends your Section 8 tenancy, they must give you 90 days’ written notice unless the eviction is for cause, and you still submit the SHRA vacate form to start transferring your subsidy.¹

How Much Notice You Owe Your Landlord

For a month-to-month tenant moving out, California requires at least 30 days’ notice.⁴ SHRA’s movers briefing confirms the 30-day minimum when you mail the notice.¹ Count 30 days from the date your landlord receives it, not the date you drop it in the mailbox.

Getting the Form

The Notice of Intent to Vacate comes inside the mover packet SHRA issues after you attend a movers briefing. The packet also contains your signed voucher, the RFTA, portability paperwork, and the Notice to Extend/Rescind form.¹ If you need to pick anything up or drop paperwork off, the HCV program office is at 630 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814.⁵

What to Fill In

Have this information ready before you start:

Your full legal name as it appears on your voucher, and your tenant code.
Your landlord’s name and contact information, matching your current lease and HAP contract.
Your planned move-out date, at least 30 days after your landlord receives the notice.
A forwarding address. Under California law, if you don’t provide one, the landlord sends your security deposit accounting to the unit you just left.⁶
The reason for the move (elective, lease expiration, mutual agreement, or landlord-initiated). This determines how SHRA processes the transition.

Write legibly or type the entries. SHRA can reject a notice staff cannot read, and resubmitting burns time on your voucher clock. The forwarding address matters for a second reason: California law requires the landlord to send an itemized security deposit statement within 21 calendar days of your move-out.⁶

The initial vacate notice does not strictly require your landlord’s signature. SHRA’s movers briefing allows certified mail with the postal receipt as proof of service if the landlord won’t sign.¹ The signature only becomes mandatory later, if you need to extend or rescind the notice.²

How to Deliver It

Two parties get a copy: your landlord and SHRA.

Serve your landlord first, a day or two before you submit the RFTA.² You can hand-deliver and get a signature as acknowledgment, or send it by certified mail and keep the postal receipt. Certified mail gives you a paper trail if the landlord later disputes receiving it.

Then submit a copy to SHRA with your RFTA. The RFTA will not be processed without the attached vacate notice.¹ You can drop the paperwork at the 630 I Street office.⁵ SHRA runs a Resident Portal at portal.shra.us, but it’s set up primarily for annual recertifications; check with your caseworker before relying on it for move paperwork.⁷

Keep copies of everything: the signed or mailed notice, the certified mail receipt, and your RFTA submission confirmation. If any piece gets lost in processing, those records are what keep your voucher intact.

What Happens Next

Once SHRA has the RFTA and the attached vacate notice, processing takes 14 to 21 days under normal conditions, though workload and budget constraints can push it longer.² The movers briefing puts the upper range at 30 days.¹ Build that processing time into your move timeline.

SHRA reviews the proposed rent, then schedules a Housing Quality Standards inspection. Your new lease starts on the latest of three dates: the day the unit passes inspection, the day you move in, or the day after your current lease ends. If the unit fails inspection twice, the RFTA is voided and you start over with a different unit.¹ Keep paying rent at your current address through the last day of your lease; falling behind puts your voucher at risk.

Changing Your Mind: Extending or Rescinding

If you served a notice but need more time, use the Notice to Extend from your mover packet. If you’ve decided not to move at all, use the Notice to Rescind. Both forms require your signature and your landlord’s signature, and both must reach SHRA before the original vacate date.¹

That signature requirement is firmer than it was for the initial vacate notice. Certified mail does not substitute here; without the landlord’s written agreement, the extend or rescind notice is not valid.² If your landlord refuses to sign, call your SHRA caseworker right away. Failing to vacate on the stated date with no extension on file can jeopardize your program participation, because federal rules require families to follow lease terms and to notify the housing authority before any move.³

If You’re Moving Out of Sacramento

Moving outside SHRA’s jurisdiction triggers the Housing Choice Voucher portability process, which lets you transfer your assistance to another housing authority.⁸ You still serve the Notice of Intent to Vacate first; SHRA will not send the portability packet to the receiving housing authority until you have.¹ SHRA may prohibit moves during the initial lease term or limit families to one move per year, and new voucher holders may need to live within SHRA’s jurisdiction for a year before porting out.⁹ Ask your caseworker about your specific situation before you give notice.

If You’re Fleeing Domestic Violence

The standard vacate process does not apply to emergency moves tied to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Under the Violence Against Women Act, the housing authority cannot terminate your assistance for moving out, even in violation of your lease, when the move is necessary to protect your safety or a household member’s safety.⁹ Request an emergency transfer with HUD Form 5383 instead of the standard notice. You do not need to be in good standing on your lease to qualify, and your information must be kept confidential and stored separately from your regular tenant file.¹⁰

1
Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency. Movers Briefing
2
Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency. Frequently Asked Questions
3
eCFR. 24 CFR 982.551 – Obligations of Participant
4
California Legislative Information. California Code CIV 1946.1 – Termination of Tenancy
5
Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency. Contact Us
6
California Legislative Information. California Code CIV 1950.5 – Security for Rental Agreement
7
Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency. HCV Resident Portal
8
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Housing Choice Vouchers Portability
9
eCFR. 24 CFR 982.354 – Move With Continued Tenant-Based Assistance
10
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Emergency Transfer Request for Victims of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, or Stalking